film: review

> BEHIND ENEMY LINES (2001)
There are good movies, and there are bad movies. Behind Enemy Lines is a great example of a fast-paced, high-gloss, re-hashed piece of garbage.

By John C. Lyons
Film Critic

Starring: Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman

Directed by: John Moore (XVI)

Written by: Jim Thomas and John Thomas (V)

Genre: Action

Our Rating: 2 out of 10

People will be drawn to Behind Enemy Lines because the trailer looks exciting and there are lots of nice explosions. Plus you get that nice, warm, fuzzy feeling of patriotism as you root for the American Naval Pilot to make it out alive while hoards of evil Bosnians rain firepower on his every footstep. Sure, I will admit, I was a bit drawn to it, and that was enough to get me into the theater. But I have survived this punishment at the cinema to warn others: stay away.

Owen Wilson can be a funny guy, as he has shown in supporting roles from such movies as Meet the Parents, The Haunting, and Armageddon, but Wilson has no business starring in an action vehicle like this one. Gene Hackman, what were you thinking? Personally I think that Gene said he would do this one if he could be an Admiral one last time and fly in a cool helicopter. However, the actors involved are not so much the problem. The fact is, I didn't really care much about any of the characters anyhow once Behind Enemy Lines reached a certain point of nonsense. When in doubt, blow something up! This seems to be the answer to everything in this movie.

Here's the entire plot in a nutshell, can see a pattern? Owen Wilson crashes in Bosnia. Bad-guy Bosnians see him and shoot at him for about 10 minutes; he dodges every bullet and escapes. Wilson then sits still for a few seconds and looks dazed and confused. Then some more bad guys find him and shoot at him for 10 minutes. He escapes and looks dazed and confused… This gets real old, real fast. After this happens a half a dozen times it just loses its believability totally - even in an action movie sense! I mean, hell, even John Rambo got hurt every now and then, and he was a big tough guy. A big blow 'em up action movie needs at least a hint of believability to its sequences; otherwise it becomes a nothing but a piece of shit with a pretty little bow on it.

Speedy Owen Wilson, the ace pilot, who can run through 50 trip wire explosives and not die (everyone else around him dies though)! The unstoppable Owen Wilson, the man who after running almost constantly through mud and freezing snow, for a day, hides in a snow pile (doesn't bother him, he's mad) and then somehow jumps out at the right time to shoot a professional killer. Which reminds me, for most of the film, a Bosnian bounty hunter is tracking Wilson down. This guy can find a gun clip in the middle of a field! He sees skid marks and knows exactly where someone is going! Everywhere our hero goes this guy finds him. He is armed only with a sniper rifle, and as much as he is built up as this big-time professional he has the worst aiming seen on film. He cannot come close to hitting Wilson if his life depended on it. Even in the open. Maybe this is why the war in Bosnia went on for so long? Ahhhhhh, I could go on and on but I won't.

I saw this film at the Tinseltown theaters on upper Peach Street in Erie.

PROs: Stuff blows up, poorly.

CONs: I felt conned after I saw this movie. Wow, this movie really sucked!

(01-1212)

related links:

Behind Enemy Lines - official site