It's a war-drama similar in tone/plot to "A Few Good Men." I like "Rules" better, despite some flaws. It may not have an iconic line like "You can't handle the truth!" but it has quality combat action (which "A Few" didn't have) and the story of the protagonists is just more compelling IMHO. The movie's effectiveness hinges on Jackson and Jones convincing us of their characters, their relationship and their crisis, which they easily do.
Some have understandably decried the film as racist, but it's more like telling the awful truth with 2012's infamous Benghazi-gate scandal lending support. Director William Friedkin (famous for films like "The Exorcist") insisted that the movie's not anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and certainly not anti-Yemen, it's anti-terrorist. Bear in mind that the King of Morocco had to read and approve the script before the filmmakers could use Morocco for locations and nobody participating from the Arab side of things felt the film was anti-Arab.
One critic complained about a peripheral character not resurfacing at the end, but why pan a story for NOT being predictable?
The blurb at the end makes it seem like the movie was based on a true story, but it's not. It simply reveals what happens to the characters after the story ends so the viewers aren't left in the air.
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