Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

Behind Enemy Lines would be a perfect choice for that old TBS show, "Movies For Guys Who Like Movies." Featuring all of the things that any true-blue, red-blooded American male wants to see in an action extravaganza, including jet fighters, missiles, machine guns, aircraft carriers, helicopters, and tanks, Behind Enemy Lines is a nonstop barrage of all things military, with one man's struggle for survival amidst the chaos and confusion of a war-ravaged countryside as the central plot of the film. As a fan of movies filled to the brim with the latest in military hardware (with a few notable exceptions), I found myself pleasantly entertained by this movie that, by all accounts, should be far less enjoyable than it is. The basic premise of the film is grounded in plausible reality, but the filmmakers have embellished and stretched the boundary between reality and fantasy quite a bit. After all, who would buy a ticket to a movie that showed a pilot shot down, walking to the extraction point for 90 minutes with nary an exciting moment to be seen, followed by his rescue, and the rolling of the end credits? Not I. Perhaps that is why this movie works so well as a mindless Saturday afternoon action flick. All of my friends and I grew up playing war, influenced by the war and action movies we so loved to watch. Behind Enemy Lines is many a young boy's fantasy come true, that of a hero who is anything but larger-than-life, but his actions are. He is caught in the crossfire of a war-ravaged country, dependent on only his survival skills, military training, and cunning to escape with his life through cold, muddy, and deadly terrain.

While Behind Enemy Lines clearly has "Hollywood" written over it, it's a well-staged movie that maintains a level of tension throughout its rather predictable story arc. There is nothing new here, but director John Moore (Flight of the Phoenix) keeps the material feeling fresh and captivating nevertheless. This film is infinitely better crafted than some of the lesser of the recent loud and fast-paced action extravaganzas, like Stealth. Sure, there are a few laughably bad moments, such as the crescendoing hero music played as Burnett once again escapes the bad guys by donning the uniform of a dead solider and takes off his disguise only feet from the enemy. Owen Wilson is a fine actor, but Behind Enemy Lines proves he's better suited to stay away from the adrenaline-pumping action fare, sticking instead to the comedy roles that made him famous. Gene Hackman is once again likable and plays his role well. For those of you who enjoyed this movie, or find you like it after reading this review and watching the film, you may want to check out another Gene Hackman movie that is in a similar mold as this one, but is a decidedly superior film: Bat 21.