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Movies / On DVD / Behind Enemy Lines
Behind Enemy Lines

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Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

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Reviews Counted:127

Fresh:46

Rotten:81

Average Rating:4.7/10

Consensus: The plot for Behind Enemy Lines is more jingoistic than credible, and the overload of flashy visual tricks makes the action sequences resemble a video game.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: On a reconnaissance flight over eastern Europe, disillusioned naval pilot Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) and his partner, Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht), photograph a scene they were not meant to see.... On a reconnaissance flight over eastern Europe, disillusioned naval pilot Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) and his partner, Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht), photograph a scene they were not meant to see. When their plane is shot down and Stackhouse is quickly captured and executed, Burnett must struggle to survive in unfamiliar hostile territory with a cold-blooded assassin and hundreds of enemy troops on his heels. Meanwhile, on an American battleship in the Adriatic Sea, Burnett's commanding officer, Admiral Reigart (Gene Hackman), attempts to negotiate his soldier's return amidst tense political and military maneuvers. Soon Burnett discovers exactly why he's being hunted, making his situation--and Reigert's actions--even more perilous. Benefiting from Wilson's straightforward performance and Hackman's typically engaging presence, BEHIND ENEMY LINES proves itself with a solid story (loosely based on real-life events) and excellent action sequences. Shot in a cold, icy light, John Moore's film features a nail-biting aerial chase, a tense race across a grenade-filled wasteland, and a stunningly explosive final battle. Wilson, typically cast in quirky comedic roles, is an unlikely action hero who turns out to be the movie's secret weapon. By avoiding excessive macho posturing, BEHIND ENEMY LINES is smarter, more exciting, and better looking than most Hollywood military thrillers. [More]

Starring: Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Gabriel Macht, Charles Malik Whitfield

Starring: Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Gabriel Macht, Charles Malik Whitfield, Joaquim de Almeida, David Keith, Olek Krupa, Vladimir Mashkov

Director: John Moore

Director: John Moore
Screenwriter: Zak Penn, David Veloz, John Thomas, James Thomas
Producer: John Davis
Composer: Don Davis
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Behind Enemy Lines

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
12/15/03
Alexander Walker
Alexander Walker
This is London

It's pure adventure hokum, despite some end captions which are put up as though the events portrayed really happened (they didn't).

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/10/02
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/20/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

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Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/20/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/06/02
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With one taut action scene after another, as long as you leave your brain at the door, this is an a glibly entertaining ride.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/24/01
Jason Korsner
Jason Korsner
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/01/09
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
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Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
N/R

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Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

From its prosaic title to its convenient timeliness, this valentine to U.S. military guys hamstrung by officious NATO bureaucrats could hardly seem less promising

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

That's just one of many reasons why I'm reluctant to call Behind the Lines entertainment. Propaganda, MTV-style, might be closer to the truth.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
06/25/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

A satisfying enough piece of giddy-up entertainment that raises a few passing questions about the American 'cowboy mentality' before ultimately deciding it’s a lot more fun to simply eat your action movie cake than try to have it too.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
07/18/03
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

Behind Enemy Lines crosses into the ugly side of patriotism.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
05/30/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
N/R

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Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
05/22/03
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

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Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

Plays more like a recruitment video for the US military than any serious examination of conflict.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
01/30/03
Harry Guerin
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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