Crossing the 'Lines'

Riding the wave of recent public sentiment, Fox has pushed up the release of its new action thriller, Behind Enemy Lines to Nov. 30. Set in Bosnia as NATO is about to pull out with a peace treaty in hand, top billed actor Owen Wilson plays a Navy navigator shot down by unknown Eastern Europeans after he spots and photographs them in a scene that was not meant for the United States’ eyes. While his pilot is executed, Wilson must stay alive in the wintry landscape of Bosnia while being pursued. As Wilson’s commanding officer, Gene Hackman plays Admiral Reigart, who is frustrated by his superior, NATO admiral (Joaquim de Almeida) because he has been told that a rescue attempt can only be made in safe territory. As the story develops—read: Wilson must run and dodge some more while Hackman frets nervously—it is left to Hackman to take matters into his own hands and launch a rogue rescue mission.

As opposed to the recent Spy Game that was a rescue mission thriller with a cerebral bent, expect Behind Enemy Lines to be pure, straightforward action with less attention paid to motivation, character development, logical plot progression, etc. While the upcoming Black Hawk Down may cover more realistic territory, Behind is clearly meant to be a male-focused patriotic adrenaline rush.

In other words, if the prospect of seeing ultimate surfer dude Wilson running from bullets set to a throbbing soundtrack and witnessing Hackman climb into a Navy plane to mete out his special sauce of Hackman street justice appeals to you, then Behind Enemy Lines will be sure to entertain this weekend.