Enter "Behind Enemy Lines," starring Gene Hackman and Owen Wilson. It is a tale of love lost, love found, and a fighter pilot who is... get this... behind enemy lines. Yeah, creepy. Anyway, here's the lowdown. There's an aircraft carrier somewhere near Bosnia, and they run routine flights over the neutral area to take pictures. Enter flight navigator Burnett (Wilson) and his pilot Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) who are sent on a mission by Admiral Reigart (Hackman). Except this time they see something they aren't supposed to see, which brings us to one of several problems in the movie. They're never truly clear on what Burnett saw; the image we're given is of heavy artillery vehicles moving in a neutral zone; later there is some mention of graves. But no matter. See something they do, regardless of what it might be.
The pictures they take then sets off the high point of the movie- some bad guys... not sure who exactly, mind you... see the plane and then launch two missiles to take it down. I've seen a lot of fighter jet chase scenes in my time, but I think this is the first time I've seen a missile chase scene. As the jet weaves in and out of the landscape and air, the movie does a good job of capturing the intensity and disorientation that is probably involved when you're doing 90 degree turns at 600 miles per hour and the G forces hit you like a canon (or so I'm led to believe, since the heaviest thing I've ever done is ride on 'Apollo's Chariot' at Busch Gardens). Eventually though, the heat seekers nail the plane and the two are forced to eject. After landing, Burnett goes for higher ground to make radio contact while his injured little buddy is pretty much left out in the middle of a barren field with no cover. Hmmm... you just got shot down, you're injured... yeah, sitting in the middle of a football field with no cover seems like a good way to evade the enemy.
Well, you know what happens next. Burnett is consequently on the run with minimal supplies, radio contact, and some maps to navigate. Back on the boat Reigart is experiencing the typical red tape that surrounds rescuing a man down behind enemy lines, since there's some sort of peace treaty that's going on. We're never really told who the baddies are or what they're doing, but who really cares? This is about evasion and survival.
I'll be honest- this is not a great movie. I dig Owen Wilson (though I have a hard time not staring at his funky looking nose all the time) and I think he brings a real charisma and country boy flair. I dig Hackman, though this movie seems to retread him from every other war movie he's done. The cat and mouse concept is fun, but sometimes it's hard to get over how laughably bad some of this movie can be. The dialogue is sometimes downright hokey. Wilson's survival tactics usually involve him silhouetted against the barren sky so that he makes a perfect target for the sniper that's chasing him. And we are never really told what's on the camera, or why it's important. Along with that, the cinematography flirts with that dangerous line of being cool/hackneyed/trite. Sometimes it is cool; sometimes it gives you a headache.
While it's not a great movie though, I do have to admit I had a good time with it. I knew it was bad in some parts, but I just sort of accepted it as part of the margin for error in making a combat movie. I still enjoyed the cat and mouse game, though for the poor sniper dude, it seemed like he was stuck in Sisyphus-hell where, in perfect Monty Python timing, like Lancelot he never seemed to be able to reach his destination.
To conclude- it's not bad. It's not good. It can be a lot of fun. Just don't go into it expecting "Saving Private Ryan," and you'll do just fine.
- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Comments