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During a reconnaisance mission over Bosnia in the final stages of its conflict, US Navy naval flight officer Lieutenant Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) and pilot Lieutenant Jeremy Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) spot suspicious activity in which Burnett persuades Stackhouse to fly their F/A-18 Hornet off-course to get a close look at the target and photograph it. However, both men are unaware that they photographed mass graves, and Serbs in the area spot the jet. The local Bosnian Serb Army commander, General Miroslav Lokar (Olek Krupa), is conducting a secret genocidal campaign against the local Muslim population. Not wanting the mass graves to be discovered, Lokar orders the jet to be shot down. Missiles are launched against their airplane and despite a valient effort to evade and escape, they are hit and downed. Stackhouse is captured and interrogated. Immediately afterwards he is executed by Sasha (Vladimir Mashkov), a tracker and one of Lokar's right-hand men. Burnett, who was observing the Serbs' interrogation of Stackhouse from a hill, exposes the Serbs to his location. Wanting Burnett dead as well, Lokar orders both Sasha and his second-in-command, Colonel Bazda (Marko Igonda), to find him. Burnett is ordered by Admiral Leslie Reigart (Gene Hackman) to move to a certain location in order to be extracted. However, after Reigart is warned by Admiral Piquet (Joaquim de Almeida) of the political ramifications of rescuing Burnett in the no-fly zone, Reigart informs Burnett that he must move to a safer location miles away outside of the demilitarized zone in order to be rescued. When it becomes obvious that extraction isn't going to happen, Burnett is sent to another location. This begins a running hunt for Burnett. Friends made along the way help him to elude his pursuers, but they are relentless and cannot allow him to escape. His only hope is to find the cockpit of the downed airplane and retrieve the tape of photographs. He finds the ejection seat and is able to activate the homing device so that he can be located by his rescue chopper. All efforts to rescue him are thwarted by NATO so as not to escalate the war, but Admiral Reigart, against orders went to get Burnett. Three U.S. Marine UH-1 Huey helicopters led by Reigart finally arrive and fire on the Serbs. After retrieving the hard drive containing the photos of the mass graves, Burnett escapes with the task force, which successfully withdraws back to the aircraft carrier. Lokar's war crimes eventually put him on trial, while Reigart's actions result in him being relieved from command.Read full review
Behind Enemy Lines is an action packed thriller that takes you for a ride along with hero Chris Burnett played by Owen Wilson. Burnett's naval fighter jet is show down and he is in enemy territory. Burnetts co-pilot, Stackhouse, is assassinated as he looks on from a distance after leaving to get help for an injured Stackhouse. Wilson gives a stellar performance as he is chased by an army who wants him dead because of what he has seen and filmed from his jet. Wilson's character has none of the traits of a fearless "Rambo" type of warrior. He is a man running for his life and wondering why Admiral Reigart, played by Gene Hackman, has not sent a rescue team in to save him when he reaches a safe zone for pick up. Politics on the ship between Admiral Reigart and a United Nations representative on board leaves Reigart helpless to bring his man home. As a viewer you are pulled into the action leaving your emotions running high. The unique style of filming for this movie adds to the tension and pulls you in even further to Behind Enemy Lines which is loosely based on real life actions. This is the best performance given by Owen Wilson to date. It's too bad he plays mindless "comedy" roles when his true talent shines through in this dramatic roll.Read full review
Good entertainment with plenty of action, suspense and thrill. This could be Owen Wilson's best shot ever, IMO. Gene Hackman is also great as usual. The way this story ends is particularly nice. Highly recommended.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
*** MINIMAL SPOILERS *** The film is based loosely on the experiences of USAF Captain Scott O'Grady, who was shot down near the town of Mrkonjic Grad in northern Bosnia in June 1995 and was stranded in Serb-held territory for six days before being rescued by US Marines. O'Grady was not entirely happy with the movie's portrayal of his character traits and let that be known publicly. Matthew McConaughey turned down the lead role that went to Owen Wilson. That role is Navy Pilot Chris Burnett, and Wilson does an outstanding job here. Gene Hackman plays Burnett's Commanding Officer, Admiral Reigart. I never seen any sub-par performance from Gene Hackman and it probably does not exist. A most entertaining movie.
I want that funky Dixie Land…. This movie is definitely Number One!… One!… One!…. One! Better than the Top Gun sequel.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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