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Movies / Upcoming / Behind Enemy Lines
Behind Enemy Lines

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Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

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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 fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
12/16/01
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

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

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Big, dumb, filled with explosions, and no token romance in sight...THANK YOU!

Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | comment Comment
12/04/01
Andrew Manning
Andrew Manning
Radio Free Entertainment

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
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

derivative, but it ain't dull

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
12/06/01
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

Calibrate your filter, sift through the stuff you don't like, and you might enjoy yourself.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
11/29/01
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

A flag-waving film experience that fits the present war times in America after the events of September 11.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 1 Comment
12/06/01
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A thrilling action picture for anyone who enjoys getting their auditory and visual senses assaulted, and their nerves absolutely wrecked.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
11/30/01
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

It is loud. It is formulaic. It’s also, more often than not, a thumping good time at the movies.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/29/01
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A war movie, and a solid one at that.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
11/30/01
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

This is an action flick, and in that regard it delivers everything that it's supposed to and more.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
11/29/01
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

A rip-roaring, flag-waving, gung ho war drama with a surprisingly effective turn by Owen Wilson

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
11/30/01
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

The premise is familiar and the storyline formulaic, yet the execution is effective enough that it keeps us involved for the running length.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
11/29/01
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

With one taut action scene after another, as long as you leave your brain at the door, this is an a glibly entertaining ride.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/24/01
Jason Korsner
Jason Korsner
BBC

A stylistic ping-pong match that nonetheless gives off great energy.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
11/28/01
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

I had a blast watching it and that's pretty much all that I was looking for in this film

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
11/28/01
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Like a good soldier, it does get the job done and in an efficient -- some would say simplistic -- way.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
11/30/01
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

A fun run-and-gun popcorn flick.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
11/30/01
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
San Francisco Examiner

Has first-rate action and a lot of it.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
11/30/01
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
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