Where to watch Behind Enemy Lines
3 1/2 Stars
Fighter navigator Chris Burnett wants out: he was looking for something more than the boring recon missions he’s been flying. He finds himself flying the lone Christmas day mission over war-torn Bosnia. But when he talks pilot Stackhouse into flying slightly off-course to check out an interesting target, the two get shot down. Burnett is soon alone, trying to outrun a pursuing army, while commanding officer Reigert finds his rescue operation hamstrung by politics, forcing Burnett to run far out of his way.
Behind Enemy Lines is the best Tony Scott film that wasn’t directed by Tony Scott. Behind Enemy Lines feels so heavily influenced by Scott’s work, both visually and in casting, that it’s not hard to imagine that Gene Hackman’s Admiral character here is the same Naval Captain he previously played in Crimson Tide. Director John Moore must be given credit for bringing the action thrills and for turning actor Owen Wilson into a credible action hero.
The story is a drawn-out game of cat and mouse between the downed American pilot and the Bosnian military. While short on dialogue, save for a few juicy scenes that prove Hackman is still a magnetic on-screen presence, the filmmakers have instead focused on the hardware. There are an exceptional number of explosions, gunshots, and general mayhem that dominate the film’s brief running time. In a sequence that features Wilson’s character running through an open area laced with tripwires, it’s astonishing no one was injured.
This manufactured sense of danger does work in drawing the viewer in, even if on a purely visceral level. The script’s message, We should let qualified men do what is necessary regardless of international diplomacy, is admittedly simple-minded and plays on the era’s renewed patriotism in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. But the picture is an effective piece of action cinema with an unlikely lead and a number of exciting set pieces.
Directed by: John Moore
Written by: Jim Thomas, John Thomas, David Veloz
Starring: Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Gabriel Macht