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Zone's Eye View of "Behind Enemy Lines" |
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Synopsis of movie, courtesy of 20th Century Fox: Lieutenant Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) is a top naval aviator who is frustrated that fragile geo-politics have kept him from what he knows best: flying F/A-18 Superhornet jets into combat. "We're watching, not fighting," he tells Admiral Reigart (Gene Hackman), who thinks Burnett hasn't really learned what it means to be a soldier.
Now for The Zone's Eye View Although this film was not received with much enthusiasm from most movie critics, Behind Enemy Lines; starring Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Charles Malik Whitfield and Gabriel Macht, is a very suspenseful and surprisingly good film. The plot could have been taken from the headlines during the Bosnian Conflict. After all, there are some very strong and sometimes realistic imagery to subjects like mass genocide and the shooting down of an American pilot. It has been noted that this film could be considered loosely based on Lt. Scott O’Grady’s own incident of being shot down over Bosnia in 1995. Lt. Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) gives a wonderful performance of a serviceman bored with his assignment aboard a NATO Peacekeeping aircraft carrier. After several years of service in the Navy he has come to the conclusion that he wants to resign. After speaking with his Commanding Officer Adm. Reigart (Gene Hackman), Burnett gives Reigart a letter of resignation. This would be his last mission. Soon afterwards, on Christmas day, Burnett and his Pilot, Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) are given another recon mission. The mission should be uncomplicated. They must simply fly over designated airspace; take some reconnaissance photos then return to the Carrier. During the flight, Burnett notices activity on his radar and talks his pilot into veering off course to investigate. This is where the real story begins. Bosnian soldiers shoot down Burnett and Stackhouse. Burnett must contact the carrier to be rescued but to do so; he must leave his injured pilot and friend alone. From the moment he leaves Stackhouse, the suspense begins to build. As he watches in horror, Stackhouse is first surrounded by enemy soldiers and then ruthlessly executed. The chase to capture and destroy Burnett is on. From beautiful snow filled countryside scenery, to the horrors of a mass grave filled with mud and blood; from tripping land minds to finding sanctuary with the strangest of bedfellows, Lt. Chris Burnett must hurry to the safe zone to be picked up. He has only a certain amount of time to get there, or he will truly be lost, all the while he must keep his wits and keep one step ahead of the people trying to kill him for what he has seen and what they think he knows. The cast of Behind Enemy Lines could be considered a who’s who of upcoming talent as well as a wonderful springboard for veterans. Owen Wilson, who can be seen in films such as “Shanghi Noon”, “The Haunting” and the upcoming “The Royal Tenebaums” proves that he can carry a movie as a lead actor. He is able to covey emotions from anger to terror realistically while making the audience feel with him the urgency in his every move. We hold our breath as he makes his way across an area littered with land mines that with one careless step could mean his death. We cheer when he takes
that extra moment to complete his mission before being rescued. Wilson helps us to believe that Burnett is indeed in mortal danger throughout the film, and yet, we also see the determination of a man to complete his job and hopefully make a difference. Gene Hackman is not stranger to the big screen either. From “The French Connection” to “Crimson Tide” and many other films, he has consistently proven himself a strong actor who can bring those words on a piece of paper to life. As Adm. Reigart, Hackman is able to not only show us a man used to being in control and having his every command carried out without question, but also one that struggles with what he knows is right and what he, himself has been commanded to do. If he chooses one way, he could loose his command and possibly his career, and if he chooses the other way, he could possibly be sentencing one of his men to death. Hackman allows the viewer to experience his own emotional roller coaster ride and invites us to share
all that goes with those feelings. First time Director John Moore has done a fabulous job at keeping the suspense up. Be it the interaction between the actors or the various and sometimes-inventive way the camera is used (from slow motion to war correspondence like shaky movements) he keeps your eyes and your brain entertained through out the first scene of the movie. His direction of all the characters helps carries even scene that would normally be considered boring and filler, to be exciting and enthralling. Behind Enemy Lines is a fast paced and entertaining film. Is it a moral film? Are there any hidden messages written in the plot? No, not really, and it isn’t just another war movie. This is a film that highlights the sheer enjoyment of sitting in the theatre and being excited by what you see. It is a film that shows off the talents of not only Hackman and Wilson, but also the Director, supporting cast members and everyone in between. Behind Enemy Lines is a film that does renew your sense of patriotism. And that is worth the price of admission in light of World situations today. I give this film an eight on a scale from 1 to 10. Why not a straight out ten, well as good as it was, there were things I think they could have touched on a bit more. There were characters introduced in the film that we never find out what happened too, Like the young Bosian boy that Burnett referred to as Ice Cube. Where did he disappear to suddenly and what was his fate? With a bit more detail on certain characters this would be a ten with no problem. If given a chance to view this film again, I would not hesitate.
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