Movie Review: Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

The movie stars Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, David Keith, Gabriel Macht and Olek Krupa.

I've seen bits and pieces of this movie over the past few years but have never taken the time to watch it in its entirety until this weekend, when I found myself up earlier than the rest of the family and happened to come across it on one of my movie channels.

Even though the movie looked interesting, I had some serious doubts about whether or not I would like it, mostly because of Owen Wilson (who I've never seen in a non-comedic role) being cast as the star. As it turns out, however, it was actually a much better movie than I was expecting it to be.

I think the thing I liked best about this movie was the way it shows (albeit a little dramatically) the political side of war. After Burnett's plane was shot down, a rescue mission seemed like a no-brainer. Yet, the way his admiral (Hackman) kept having his efforts stopped at every turn added to both the frustration and suspense because it is unclear whether he will be rescued or if he will have to find a way to get out of the war-torn country on his own.

I was also very impressed with Wilson in this movie. As I mentioned, I've never seen him in a non-comedic role and, because of that, wasn't sure how he would handle something that required him to be more serious, especially since most of the other movies I've seen him in had him cast in a supporting capacity. However, he managed to carry the movie when he needed to, bringing just enough personality to sell his character's precarious situation.

In fact, one of the things I liked best was how Burnett was shown as being human. He was scared and, half the time, his survival seemed to be the result of luck than actual survival skills, just as I would expect to be the case in a situation like that. This, again, kept things interesting because it kept the movie from becoming predictable.

I had some serious doubts about this film. However, after finally watching it, I was much more impressed with it than I thought I would be and would definitely recommend it as a result of that.

My Grade: A