Behind Enemy Lines (15)

15/01/02

Behind Enemy Lines is a military yarn with action-a-plenty and a smattering of personal dissent thrown in along the way. Supposedly set in Bosnia in the early 1990s, America's boy Owen Wilson is shot down over enemy territory and the cameras follow him as he tries to find safe ground. Cue excuse for half of Bosnia's army to try and kill him, and for young Wilson to even pick up an arch-rival along the way, who is clearly identifiable by his tracksuit top. Where exactly this costume comes from who knows, but it works wonders in making afore-mentioned main enemy visually obvious.

Owen Wilson, of the fantastically wonky nose, does his bit quite effectively as the man on the run while Gene Hackman continues earning his keep in films that require little more of his skill than regular "God damns", expressed about pretty much everything. Those who enjoy a good bit of military techno-garble will not be disappointed with the plenitude of acronyms casually thrown around. Do you understand them? It really doesn't matter.

If you find it possible not to take the very dubious politics of the film too seriously and ideally, ignore them completely, then this film works quite well as a blow 'em up flick. Before you even walk in the cinema you should know the ending, so just enjoy the spectacle.

Liz Buckle