A star-studded war legal thriller movie is on TV tonight

The 2000 film comes from the director of The Exorcist and The French Connection.

It stars Samuel L. Jackson as Col. Terry Childers, a 30-year US Marine veteran and decorated officer with combat experience in Vietnam, Beirut and Desert Storm.

Despite this experience, he finds himself on trial by the country he served for so long after a rescue mission at the US embassy in Yemen goes terribly wrong.

"For his attorney, he has chosen Marine Col. Hays Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones), a comrade-in-arms who owes his life to Childers," the plot synopsis reads.

With a screenplay by Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan (Traffic), Rules of Engagement also stars Anne Archer (Fatal Attraction), Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast), Blair Underwood (Longlegs), Bruce Greenwood (House of Usher), Guy Pearce (Memento) and Philip Baker Hall (Boogie Nights).

And the late and great's Friedkin's typically muscular direction combined with the excellent cast makes this film worth seeking out for fans of legal thrillers in which brilliant actors deliver big speeches and shout over each other in court.

Rules of Engagement is airing on TV tonight on the channel Legend at 9pm.

It is also available to watch for free on the streaming service Plex.