Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) is an ambitious but arrogant US Navy pilot who, along with his co-pilot, gets shot down in demilitarized Serbian territory after a reconnaissance mission goes badly wrong. His superior, Admiral Reigart (Gene Hackman) decides to fly in the face of protocol and retrieve their pilot - without causing an international incident. Although it's based on a true story, what will most likely appeal to Irish audiences about Behind Enemy Lines is that it was directed by 31-year-old Dundalk native, John Moore. And while the plot seems to be a familiar one, Moore shows exceptional technical ability, utilizing a wide range of visual tics to make the movie an intensely visceral experience. His choice of actors is astute too. Always a class act, Hackman is in particularly fine fettle here as the hard-as-nails Admiral, and Wilson gives his character a depth and believability that action heroes all too often lack. Sure, some clichés are strictly adhered to in Behind Enemy Lines, but ultimately this isn't a bad effort. Not by a long shot.
