MovieChat Forums > Rules of Engagement (2000) Discussion > It Could Never Happen

It Could Never Happen

posted 19 years ago by crossini-1
26 replies | jump to latest

Most of the key plot points in this movie would never happen in real life.

1. US Embassies are routinely prostested by crowds in excess of 10,000 protestors/rioters without being evacuated. The idea of a crowd less than 300 forcing an evacuation is ridiculous.
2. The crowd would have been dispersesd, easily, by the use of copious amounts of CS (tear gas).
3. If the Marines did actually evacuate the embassy, everything on Post 1 (command and control post in the embassy) would have been inventoried. This includes all weapons, log books and VIDEO TAPES! In fact, Marines being Marines, probably would have copied the tape as soon as the got back to the LHA and watched it that evening.
4. In addition to the video tape, the events of the day would have been recorded in the Post Log, which is a legal document. Meaning that the tape would not be the only piece of evidence that proved the crowd was armed and hostile.
5. The radio recording that lead to the “Well, if you got it on tape then I guess I said it” scene could not have happened. The A/N PRC-119 radios that they were using have a maximum range of 5-7 miles. Well beyond the range of the supporting ships at sea.

In other words, none of this could ever happen!

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] spookyrat1 12 years ago

With the benefit of hindsight I guess we can see that sadly it can happen. Whilst I'm happy to agree with some of the technical objections, I always liked this film, great cast, good production values, and a script I found engaging, as well as gripping. I just recently saw it again and really time has demonstrated that this sort of thing can and does happen. Recently as we know the America embassy in Libya was overrun, with the ambassador himself and others senselessly murdered by a rampaging mob supposedly arcing up over some pathetically stupid film that they chose to believe the American Government and its allies had sponsored. I really don't think it's racist to suggest as this film does, that this is a very combustible region and things can get out of hand very quickly, for what appears to many of us to be minor reasons.
Tragically in the case of this film, it appears to be a case of life imitating art.

[–] jpogi 10 years ago

It happened. 2012 US Embassy in Libya. I'd rather see an angry mob "wasted" than a US ambassador.

[–] sommert-507-32566 10 years ago

And we now see how history, sadly, has proven you completely wrong. May you reread this and reconsider all the things you thought 'could never happen' with a broader prospective.