Behind Enemy Lines

Rating:
Summary: Behind is in Front!
Review: Wow! is this a thrill ride or what. The disclaimer at the beginning of the movie made me sit up and pay attention, because I knew the movie was on to a sensitive subject. The action sceens were fantastic. The SAMs chase of the Navy jet was awesome. The flight for home was a good mixture of reality and a little fantasy help from Hollywood but you are sure to be entertained by this hard hitting gritty action movie. It's parallel to past situations in western Europe make for a great hero movie. After you see this movie you will want to start it over from the begining. Great stuff!!!...

Rating:
Summary: Surround Sound Fun
Review: When we purchased our home theater surround sound system, both of the salesmen asked us what would be the first DVD we would view upon it. Being a great fan of the beach landing scene in "Saving Private Ryan", I replied to the salesmen that "Saving Private Ryan" would be our choice. Both of the salesmen exclaimed that the best current movie soundtrack for surround sound systems was "Behind Enemy Lines". We have recently purchased this DVD more or less to test out its soundtrack. We do enjoy the movie, and while it is not a classic by any means, some people will enjoy it just for the plot, actions scenes, etc. But for us, the payoff was the soundtrack. Out of the approximately 25 DVDs we own, this one approaches most closely the feeling of true three-dimensional sound, and that alone could serve as motivation to own it.

Rating:
Summary: Auspicious debut for director John Moore
Review: For a jingoistic, unrealistic popcorn movie that glorifies war, this is much better than it needs to be. Credit first-time helmer John Moore, who has a REALLY strong eye for visuals, convincingly capturing the chaos of battle, and even showing some ability to direct actors (unusual for a director of commercials). Director Moore even has the grace to slyly insert a piece of dialogue criticizing Hackman for risking the peace process and thousands of Bosnian lives for the sake of one American flyboy. And a tip of the hat to casting, which has a real find in the Bosnian sniper hunting Owen Wilson. In a seriously underwritten part, this actor manages to make the sniper character a convincing human being, which is no mean feat. Another special mention for animation--the effects are seamless. I never once got the impression that I was watching computer graphics and/or miniatures. Cinematography, stunts, wardrobe, and makeup are all first-rate. In general, the technical credits are flawless. Next time, Hollywood, give John Moore a crack at an excellent script and you might have another "Training Day" on your hands. That one was helmed by Antoine Fuqua, whose previous credits, "Bait" and "Replacement Killers" gave little or no hint of what he was capable of.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome 10 minutes
Review: A very good action flick, nothing to do beside great war movies but the missile pursuit sequence and the dts soundtrack are enough to put in in my collection.

Rating:
Summary: To shtoopid to be good
Review: I'm a big Owen Wilson fan, but he needs to stick to comedy. And I love Gene Hackman, so I wanted, I really wanted to like this movie. So I tried really hard to overlook the unlikely escapes, the bad lines, the ridiculous inability of the bad guys to hit Wilson with a hurricane of bullets. In the end, though, this is just a bad movie. I think the scene that sums it up is when Wilson is running through a minefield being chased by enemy soldiers. He's able to outrun the explosions as he trips the mines which (of course) obliterate the pursuing henchmen. Got that? He outran explosions. Save your IQ and do something else with your time.

Rating:
Summary: Fun stuff
Review: Taut, exciting thriller about a gung-ho Air Force soldier (Owen Wilson) who gets shot down over restricted territory during a ceasefire in early 90s Bosnia. Commander Gene Hackman wants to send a team right away to save the lone traveller, but the search and rescue mission for one man who was flying outside his allotted mission could endanger a peace treaty that once disrupted could result in a full-blown war. Wilson's casually glib performance in the lead makes this obvious war propaganda so much easier to swallow, his self-effacing humour and lazy swagger all going against the square-cut, on-target caricatures we have gotten used to in this genre. Hackman is less successful at shaking off the shackles of expectation from his role, giving a performance that is an easy spin-off of his far superior turn in Crimson Tide. The last third gets extremely ridiculous (resolve all complications with lots of explosions and loud music), but until then the action is jam packed with lots of fun and extreme tension!

Rating:
Summary: Behind Enemy Lines
Review: I thought this was a good, almost realistic movie right from the start. The military-type action is almost non-stop and will surely drag any guy into watching it for any length of time. The storyline is basically about two Navy jet fighter pilots who stray off course, and inadvertantely take some pictures of stuff that they shouldn't have seen. After being spotted, they are shot down, and now run for their lives through the war torn country side in the middle of polictical upheavel. There is a final scene with intense action and the movie tends to keep you on the edge of your seat. The only scene I didn't like was at the end, which without blowing the end, will just say was mildly unrealistic in the last action sequence. This DVD is almost a good buy for any guy, and could be bought for soemone as a gift without worry. I rated this 4 stars and feel that it is a good buy. It is in my collection as I love the military movies. I heard that this was based on a true story, but am not sure about that part.

Rating:
Summary: Good no brainer action movie
Review: If you're looking for a fast-paced, no brainer movie, then Behind Enemy Lines is a good movie. To enjoy this movie, you have to accept that there are some too heroic and impossible scenes, but get over it. Another thing: don't expect a Black Hawk Down equivalent!

Rating:
Summary: 101' minutes of good action, but nothing more.
Review: Behind Enemy Lines it's with no doubt a good action movie, but you just can't compare it to "Saving Private Ryan" or other masterpieces of its genre. The director follows Tony Scott's style and has gained quite a successful result; Chris Burnett and the great Gene Hackman proved very suitable to their roles. The sad not is the plot, which lacks of any originality and sometimes seems quite unrealistic (a whole army shoots at Owen Wilson and they all miss the mark?) but the action scenes above the average give it some interest.
On the technical side the Dolby Digital and, especially, the DTS track are very good and they really challenge your home theatre thanks to the big explosions provided by the context. The video quality is faultless too, though sometimes colours tend to be a little bit too washy.
To sum up, I would recommend "Behind Enemy Lines" to all the fans of war-action movies and to every who needs to refresh its patriotism.

Rating:
Summary: Good filming, idiotic story
Review: Very loosely based on a true story, this movie is disappointing. Both hands are not enough to count the inaccuracies. Some good footage, but that does not save the plot which is very thin. Stay away.