Product Description

Fighter navigator Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) wants out of the Navy: he was looking for something more than boring recon missions he's been flying. He finds himself 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 (Gene Hackman) finds his rescue operation hamstrung by politics, forcing Burnett to run far out of his way.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8103 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE
• Released on: 2002-04-23
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 105 minutes

Amazon.com
Smart casting and sensible plotting make Behind Enemy Lines an above-average military thriller. Perfectly timed to bolster patriotism, the film is partly set (during a hypothetical "day after tomorrow") on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson, which was on alert status in the Persian Gulf when this film was released. Proving his versatility as an unconventional movie star, Owen Wilson plays a navy navigator who is shot down over Bosnia during a reconnaissance mission. Pursued by rebel Serbian forces, Wilson must fight for survival while his commanding officer (Gene Hackman) plots a daredevil rescue. After a successful career in TV commercials, Irish director John Moore makes a promising feature debut on Slovakian locations, borrowing a few techniques from Saving Private Ryan while adding impressive flourishes of his own. The gung-ho ending's a foregone conclusion, but it works like a charm after the movie's exciting game of cat and mouse. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Behind Enemy Lines
I just saw this movie tonight(opening night) and I thought it was the best action movie I have seen at the movie theater this year. The story is about a Navy officer(Owen Wilson) who is about to quit the Navy due to the lack of excitement and the fact that there are wars going on so he only gets to go out in a plane and then come right back. But when the Navy commander(Gene Hackman) sends him out on another mission, Wilson travels into a Bosnia war base where his plane is shot down. After wilson and his partner land, the Bosnians find his partner and kill him, leaving Wilson all alone to defend himslef and try to stay alive behind enemy lines. Every scene has something exciting heppening. There are great twists and the plot is just perfect for a war/action movie. If you are looking for a good action-packed war-type movie, Behind Enemy Lines is the best one to find.

Solid action entertainment, pulling patriotic heartstrings
An airman (Owen Wilson)Lt. Burnett, has just put in his request to leave the service, because he is bored doing routine flights over Bosnia Serbia. On his next flight he makes a wrong turn and ends ups capturing some digital camera footage that the bad guys don't want seen. So they fire heat seeking missiles at his jet and he ejects before it crashes. That's pretty much what you get from the trailers.

Gene Hackman plays an Admiral who is a Battle Group Commander of an aircraft carrier. He has to deal with a yo-yo higher up admiral who is willing to sacrifice Burnett for the sake of the fragile treaty. But the bad guys, who are trying to hunt Burnett down are lying through their teeth to the peace keepers, mercilessly kill his copilot and start chasing the surviving downed airman..

The story keeps a steady pace that maintains interest throughout the film(...)There are a few yards of experimental footage, where the camera shots are really jagged and bouncing. We didn't like it. It didn't seem to do anything except pull you out of the story and that's usually not a good thing. Of course it may have been that we arrived at the theater just in time and had to take a seat in the third row. That was not a bad sign, since the theater was filled.

My 95 year old Dad said he was going to see either this film or Spy Games. I suggested this one. I liked Spy Games better. It was smarter and a bit more complex. But this one, with it's more direct plot, without the flashbacks of Spy games, will be easier to follow. This film is also better for kids. Although there is enough war-oriented violence, it has no momentary flashes of nudity, which ruin some otherwise good films for kids (in my opinion as a parent of an 11 year old.)

Throughout the movie I was also reminded of the airman who got caught behind enemy lines for about a week, a few years ago. Apparently, this is not his story, but it added an interesting dimension to think about how there must have been some similarities between his experience and this movie. I had greater respect for him.

This was an enjoyable movie-- a good evening out-- but it was not a masterpiece. That's why I give it 4 stars.

Action packed fun
If you're looking for a movie with action, suspense, blood, and big guns, you'll love this movie. The effects are incredible, especially the first part of the film, before they get shot down over enemy territory. The acting is great and, boy... what an ending. You'll love it!