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Movies / Upcoming / Behind Enemy Lines
Behind Enemy Lines

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Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

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36 %
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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

US Box Office: $58,767,833

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; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/09/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
12/16/01
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
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N/R

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

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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

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

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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
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
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
N/R

Click to read the article

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

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
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
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
N/R

Click to read the article

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

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Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
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
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

This film was so uninspired and bad, it is difficult to find anything positive to say about it.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Gareth J. Von Kallenbach
Film Threat

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
Daily Mail [UK]

Military thriller aims high and misses the barn door by a mile.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
Netflix

The filmmakers do their best to distract us, but eventually it becomes hard to ignore that Behind Enemy Lines is one long chase sequence.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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