Behind Enemy Lines (2001) DVD Reviews

Starring	Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Gabriel Macht, Joaquim De Almeida
Director	John Moore
Genres	Action/Adventure, Drama

Critics' reviews (3) of Behind Enemy Lines
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Rising star Owen Wilson takes a break from comedy — Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Shanghai Noon — and here plays a naval reconnaissance pilot who's shot down over Bosnia after inadvertently filming evidence of war crimes. Grisly Gene Hackman is the maverick admiral who battles Nato caution to find his flyboy before the pursuing Serbs get their hands on him. Former commercials director John Moore proves a dab hand at the action stuff — the sequence where Wilson is shot down is thrilling, edge-of-the-seat cinema — but, pyrotechnics aside, the rest of film is less enthralling and comprises Wilson running, stopping, getting shot at, and then running again. This is hardly surprising with such a dull script and characters. Hackman's bad-tempered naval commander in particular is so two-dimensional, he'd disappear if he turned sideways. A shame really because, if the rest of Behind Enemy Lines matched up to the action scenes, we'd be talking four-star material here.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Old-fashioned war movie propaganda, of the type one might have hoped that Hollywood had outgrown, filmed in an obtrusively ostentatious style that owes more to video games than any reality.
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Hackman is too old for the derring-do - this time he's the gruff admiral trying to get reckless crashed fly-boy Wilson... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful members' reviews (3) of Behind Enemy Lines
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18 out of 18 people found this review helpful

Not bad at all..

Good old-fashioned fast moving story - no spuriously inserted 'love story' angle, just straightforward story.

Gene Hackman attempts to get downed pilot out of Bosnia, who is being pursued by murderous gunman. Would have got 5 stars but for the ludicrously unbelievable bullet dodging climax.

Definitely one to watch when girlfriend/wife is on the girls night out, or in revenge for having to sit through 'The Hours'.
- - A customer from Croydon
  - Posted 26 May 2004 11:40
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Great Action Flick

Great action/adventure story. A no-brainer, but none the worse for it. The tension develops quickly with one of the most exciting flight scenes you'll ever watch and is kept up fairly well throughout the film.

The ending lets the film down - a little too unbelievable even by the film's own standards - but good acting from Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman and high-level action will keep you grippped. Perfect for a Saturday night in front of the TV with mates.
- - Big M from Derby, England
  - Posted 25 Aug 2005 16:36
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful

'Top Gun' meets 'The Fugative'

This film can be simply summed up as 'Top Gun' meets 'The Fugitive'. I would highly recommend this film although think Owen Wilson is badly miss-cast in the lead role (can't help looking at his nose).

Also still trying to work out how his appearance goes from neat to messy back to neat while he's being pursued - maybe there was a visit to Vidal Sassoon's which they edited out. But don't let that put you off, it's worth watching.
- - TonyR from London
  - Posted 28 Feb 2004 11:20
Most recent members' reviews (2) of Behind Enemy Lines
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

This film as a good story backed up by excellent camera work and direction.

There is a big contast between scenes 'behind enemy lines' and on the aircraft carrier. The fast paste camera work makes you feel that Owen Wilson is really running for his life and the gritty sets give you a sence of how terrible war is. I think the action scenes are very much like 'Saving Private Ryan' but on a smaller scale.
- - A customer from ABINGDON
  - Posted 28 Oct 2004 08:30
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Great Action Flick

Great action/adventure story. A no-brainer, but none the worse for it. The tension develops quickly with one of the most exciting flight scenes you'll ever watch and is kept up fairly well throughout the film.

The ending lets the film down - a little too unbelievable even by the film's own standards - but good acting from Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman and high-level action will keep you grippped. Perfect for a Saturday night in front of the TV with mates.
- - Big M from Derby, England
  - Posted 25 Aug 2005 16:36

18 out of 18 people found this review helpful

Not bad at all..

Good old-fashioned fast moving story - no spuriously inserted 'love story' angle, just straightforward story.

Gene Hackman attempts to get downed pilot out of Bosnia, who is being pursued by murderous gunman. Would have got 5 stars but for the ludicrously unbelievable bullet dodging climax.

Definitely one to watch when girlfriend/wife is on the girls night out, or in revenge for having to sit through 'The Hours'.
- - A customer from Croydon
  - Posted 26 May 2004 11:40
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Great Action Flick

Great action/adventure story. A no-brainer, but none the worse for it. The tension develops quickly with one of the most exciting flight scenes you'll ever watch and is kept up fairly well throughout the film.

The ending lets the film down - a little too unbelievable even by the film's own standards - but good acting from Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman and high-level action will keep you grippped. Perfect for a Saturday night in front of the TV with mates.
- - Big M from Derby, England
  - Posted 25 Aug 2005 16:36
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful

'Top Gun' meets 'The Fugative'

This film can be simply summed up as 'Top Gun' meets 'The Fugitive'. I would highly recommend this film although think Owen Wilson is badly miss-cast in the lead role (can't help looking at his nose).

Also still trying to work out how his appearance goes from neat to messy back to neat while he's being pursued - maybe there was a visit to Vidal Sassoon's which they edited out. But don't let that put you off, it's worth watching.
- - TonyR from London
  - Posted 28 Feb 2004 11:20
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful

What was Gene Hackman doing in this load of rubbish. What a waste of his considerable talent.
- - A customer from WIRRAL
  - Posted 30 Apr 2004 09:11
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

Solid adventure story let down by silly ending

I enjoyed this film more than I expected, at least until it neared the end. Then it got plain silly and spoiled all that'd gone before. Why do Hollywood movies go in for this stupid overkill? A complicated political and military situation in a troubled part of the world is rendered in simple B & W. Still it features a couple of good performances from Hackman and Wilson. Predictable conclusion, of course.
- - A customer from Glasgow, Scotland
  - Posted 08 Oct 2004 19:21
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

predictable

this movie is predictible from start to finish nothing special compared to other movies of its kind
- - A customer from london
  - Posted 24 Mar 2006 12:55
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

a blokes movie

good, if a little far fetched with a main character who seems bulletproof, worth a look though
- - A customer from staffordshire
  - Posted 22 May 2005 01:03
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

Usual action stuff!

A true story made into a film that's actually quite good. Keeps you on the edge of your seat! A true story is boring unless you totally change it, and that's what they did.
- - Hotstuff from Guernsey
  - Posted 14 May 2004 01:24
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

This film as a good story backed up by excellent camera work and direction.

There is a big contast between scenes 'behind enemy lines' and on the aircraft carrier. The fast paste camera work makes you feel that Owen Wilson is really running for his life and the gritty sets give you a sence of how terrible war is. I think the action scenes are very much like 'Saving Private Ryan' but on a smaller scale.
- - A customer from ABINGDON
  - Posted 28 Oct 2004 08:30
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

FANTASTIC

Absolutely fantastic, best film I have seen in years. I highly recommend this title, truly awlsome.
- - A customer from East London
  - Posted 29 Jul 2005 10:01

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Critics' reviews (3)
Rising star Owen Wilson takes a break from comedy — Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Shanghai Noon — and here plays a naval reconnaissance pilot who's shot down over Bosnia after inadvertently filming evidence of war crimes. Grisly Gene Hackman is the maverick admiral who battles Nato caution to find his flyboy before the pursuing Serbs get their hands on him. Former commercials director John Moore proves a dab hand at the action stuff — the sequence where Wilson is shot down is thrilling, edge-of-the-seat cinema — but, pyrotechnics aside, the rest of film is less enthralling and comprises Wilson running, stopping, getting shot at, and then running again. This is hardly surprising with such a dull script and characters. Hackman's bad-tempered naval commander in particular is so two-dimensional, he'd disappear if he turned sideways. A shame really because, if the rest of Behind Enemy Lines matched up to the action scenes, we'd be talking four-star material here.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Old-fashioned war movie propaganda, of the type one might have hoped that Hollywood had outgrown, filmed in an obtrusively ostentatious style that owes more to video games than any reality.
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006
Hackman is too old for the derring-do - this time he's the gruff admiral trying to get reckless crashed fly-boy Wilson... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008