Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Owen Wilson | ... | Burnett | |
Gene Hackman | ... | Reigart | |
Gabriel Macht | ... | Stackhouse | |
Charles Malik Whitfield | ... | Rodway | |
Joaquim de Almeida | ... | Piquet (as Joaquim De Almeida) | |
David Keith | ... | O'Malley | |
Olek Krupa | ... | Lokar | |
Vladimir Mashkov | ... | Tracker | |
Marko Igonda | ... | Bazda | |
Eyal Podell | ... | Petty Officer Kennedy | |
Geoff Pierson | ... | Admiral Donnelly | |
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Aernout Van Lynden | ... | Aernout Van Lynden |
Sam Jaeger | ... | Red Crown Operator #1 | |
Shane Johnson | ... | Red Crown Operator #2 (as Shane Mikael Johnson) | |
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Don Winston | ... | Red Crown Operator #3 |
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. Written by Jon Reeves <jreeves@imdb.com>
Writers Jim & John Thomas ("Predator"), must have been fans of the jungle war movie, "Bat*21" ('88), the Peter Markle directed film starring Gene Hackman and Danny Glover, based on a book by William C. Anderson, which composed the basis for the story that originated "Behind Enemy Lines", with the help of screenwriters Zak Penn & David Veloz. Throwed in the jingoistic / patriot upbeat feeling of the all american pilots from "Top Gun" ('86) and a cat & mouse game, featuring a sniper, that reminds a bit of "Enemy at the Gates" ('01), released earlier in the same year, and the cult classic, "The Most Dangerous Game" ('32) and the end result is an entertaining action / popcorn flick, far away from some kind of realism, but it's never boring to follow.
Gene Hackman leads the picture in a reverse role of his Lt. Colonel Iceal Hambleton from "Bat*21", here he's taking the Danny Glover's role, helping the navigator Owen Wilson escape from an army of angry Serbians, behind the enemy lines, after his McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet has been shot down in no man's land. Owen Wilson was an evident bad choice for the role, he can't act and his screen personna doesn't fit in a movie like this, but in the actor's defense, he was in good shape and surely can run for his life.
Gabriel Macht is good in his brief turn as the pilot, Wilson's partner, and David Keith and the portuguese actor Joaquim de Almeida, can do their respective military / commanding roles in their sleep, but Russian actor Vladimir Mashkov stole the movie as the bloodthirsty tracker / sniper in a memorable performance in terms of wickedness. He looks and feels like an emotionless predator hunting his prey and sweats charisma on screen.
The movie makes use of a competent cinematography (especially in wide shots from the air) and so-so action scenes, that brings nothing new to the table, but at least it maintain the viewer awake. The C.G.I. is often used and abused... the movie could have been way better if the production used more practical effects and stuntwork.
In short, "Behind Enemy Lines", wasn't made to be a rather serious war movie on the subject matter, but just an escapist action film to please a lazy sunday afternoon at the movies. Some reviewers here got it wrong, sometimes a movie is just a movie, things that happens in fantasyland, and thinking to much into it, will destroy the experience. Grab a few beers and a pack of smokes and just enjoy it for what it is, and i guarantee to you that this movie will never bore...
I give it a 6.5 !!