Behind Enemy Lines
reviewed by: ReelReviewz@aol.com

MOVIE BIASES: I'm a fan of Owen Wilson's charismatic irreverence and you know I'm REELY up for an action movie!
MAJOR PLAYERS: Owen Wilson (Zoolander), Gene Hackman (Heist), and director John Moore.

Owen Wilson is not what you would call your traditional leading man. With average good looks, a laid back, Texan drawl, and a face that sports a broken looking nose (it has been broken - twice), he would not be most producers' first choice for leading man in this $40 million Navy recruitment ad/film. Luckily for us, and the film, first time feature director John Moore made Wilson, in his first leading man role, his.

As the conflict in Bosnia seems to be winding down with a peace treaty imminent, naval aviation navigator Chris Burnett (Wilson) has turned in his letter to quit the Navy after seven years of mostly inactive service. Lucky to get fifteen hours of flight time a month, Burnett yearns to do something meaningful, putting him at odds with his old school Battle Group commander Admiral Leslie Riegart (Hackman). Stuck on a holiday mission to fly reconnaissance, Burnett and his pilot Michael Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) are shot down by the renegade Serbian army after having taken photos of a civilian mass grave. On his own, Burnett must evade and survive until he can be rescued, traveling through hostile territory while being hunted by the forces of the Serbian military and one track suit wearing sniper with bad intentions.

Usually known for laid back comic relief and his comedic action role in "Shanghai Noon," Wilson answers the bell in "Lines." With the role redesigned to fit his laid back personality, moving him from pilot to the backseat navigator, Wilson is credible and believable as an everyday hero who doesn't rely so much on being braver or tougher than any of us, but by surviving through common sense and keeping his wits about him. When the chips are down, Wilson is pretty convincing as a hero. Hackman is in full-on "Crimson Tide" mode, duplicating, at times, his sub commander in his performance as Riegart. The main difference is the powerlessness he effectively portrays when, as admiral of an entire battle group, his hands can become tied by bureaucratic policies and agendas.

If there is a standout hero in this movie, it is the director. Having bagged this job off of (of all things) a Sega Dreamcast commercial, John Moore is the right man for the job. Directorially, he keeps things tense and moving, showing a knack for being able to film pulse-pounding action scenes, visually exciting aerial sequences, and tense, mood setting, suspense shots. Employing jittery camerawork, quick jump cuts, faux satellite imagery, and aerial photography facilitated by the cooperation of the U.S. Navy, Moore shows that not only can he blow stuff up with the best of them, but also that he is a director with real promise. From sweeping vistas of the Czechoslovakia countryside to wide angled portraits of simple locations as fields and snowy plains, Moore demonstrates his experience as a photographer in '90s Bosnia to convey the juxtaposition of a war torn country still surrounded by unspoiled natural beauty. Aided by a script that aptly captures the contradictory, self-serving nature of American foreign policy (which I am surprised ever got the Navy greenlight), "Behind Enemy Lines" will make a star out of everyone involved. It will also entertain you along the way.


@@@ REELS (THREE REELS)
It's pretty hot - go give it a shot.
Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal?
Think he's talkin' out his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at ReelReviewz@aol.com!
© 2001, THE REEL DEAL

*****THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street*****
BIASES: mid 20s black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare
Missed a review?
Support those that support THE REEL DEAL - check out all reviews at HBCUnetwork.com!