Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Moore

Writers (WGA):

Jim Thomas (story) &
John Thomas (story) ...

Release Date:

30 November 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | War | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In War There Are Some Lines You Should Never Cross.

Plot:

A Navy navigator is shot down over enemy territory and is ruthlessly pursued by a secret police enforcer and the opposing troops. Meanwhile his commanding officer goes against orders in an attempt to rescue him.

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Navy | Navigator | Reconnaissance | Mine Field

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Owen Wilson	...	Lt. Chris Burnett
Gene Hackman	...	Admiral Leslie McMahon Reigart
Gabriel Macht	...	Stackhouse
Charles Malik Whitfield	...	Capt. Rodway, USMC
David Keith	...	Master Chief Tom O'Malley
Olek Krupa	...	Miroslav Lokar
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Admiral Piquet (as Joaquim De Almeida)
Vladimir Mashkov	...	Sasha
Marko Igonda	...	Bazda
Eyal Podell	...	Petty Officer Kennedy
Geoffrey Pierson	...	Admiral Donnelly (as Geoff Pierson)
Aernout Van Lynden	...	Aernout Van Lynden
Sam Jaeger	...	Red Crown Operator #1
Shane Johnson	...	Red Crown Operator #2 (as Shane Mikael Johnson)
Don Winston	...	Red Crown Operator #3

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for war violence and some language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Serbo-Croatian | Spanish | Czech

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | UK:12 | South Korea:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Denmark:15 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Australia:M (original rating) | Ireland:12 | UK:15 (DVD/VHS release) | Ireland:15 (DVD/VHS release) | Argentina:13 | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38516) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Koliba Studios, Bratislava, Slovakia

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This feature is included in the first wave of Blu-Ray releases by Fox. A total of five movies were included in this initial wave. The others being: Fantastic Four (2005), Ice Age (2002), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) and Kiss of the Dragon (2001).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In some of the overhead shots of the jets, studio lights are reflected on the cockpit glass.

Quotes:

Capt. Rodway, USMC: We each have our jobs. Now I'm a Marine. That means I do the serious work. You're a Navy Pilot. That means that you sit here and... eat jello.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Behind the Scenes: Behind Enemy Lines (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Rescue Blues

Tough To Beat A Good Man-On-The-Run Action Movie

I don't think this is really considered a "war movie" in the normal sense but it might as well be since it involves all military people and the focus is an American Navy pilot who is shot down over Bosnia and runs for his life while waiting to be rescued.

Outside of Owen Wilson ("Lt. Chris Burnett") blaspheming about a dozen times, I thought this was a very entertaining film with spectacular sound and a couple of very intense action scenes. I always find man-on-the-run stories good, anyway.

The missile-jet scene has some of the best surround sound I have ever heard in an action scene, along with super visuals. Wilson's travails, as he tries to stay alive in hostile territory while red-tape holds up his rescue efforts, are fascinating. The action scenes are quite different, too.

This is a film I guarantee will not put you to sleep and, at the same, doesn't overdo the action. The end has the usual credibility gap with what I call "Rambo mentality," but overall is a gripping story.