Behind Enemy Lines
Directed by John Moore
While flying a routine reconnaissance mission over Bosnia, fighter pilot Lt. Chris Burnett photographs something he wasn't supposed to see and gets shot down behind enemy lines, where he must outrun an army led by a ruthless Serbian general. With time running out and a deadly tracker on his trail, Burnett's commanding officer, Admiral Reigart, decides to risk his career and launch a renegade rescue mission to save his life.
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Behind Enemy Lines Ratings & Reviews
- Rick Masters7d agoThis film jet past my expectations when I was younger and I gave this a fly by often… its been many years since my last watch and I still think its great. The tension really soars, Every escape scene had me on the edge of my seat (no ejecting from this one halfway through) and Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman do a solid job. No turbulence here, was a fun rewatch!
- flavo43December 26, 2025Behind Enemy Lines is a fast, energetic action thriller that captures the tension of the Balkan conflict with plenty of style, even if it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential. The film is undeniably fun and exciting, driven by slick set pieces and strong performances from its two leads, who bring intensity and charisma to their roles. Yet beneath the spectacle, you can sense the movie hinting at a deeper, more grounded story it never quite commits to. Its interpretation of the region’s politics feels muddled, leaning toward broad strokes rather than meaningful commentary, which weakens the dramatic impact. That’s especially noticeable when compared to Gene Hackman’s earlier film Bat*21, which offered a more focused and emotionally resonant blueprint for this kind of narrative. Behind Enemy Lines* remains entertaining, but it’s hard not to imagine the sharper, more thoughtful film it could have been. Word count: 150
- yae5November 4, 2025Last 20ish minutes are like the most underrated of any scenes in this genre…whole film has a nice energy and it’s nice to see Owen Wilson play someone who’s not just another version of a cloyingly cool Owen Wilson…that being said, Gene Hackman makes the film but doesn’t he always?
- gmrxboxOctober 21, 2024Starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman (there's a great connection for your six degrees of separation), Owen Wilson is a jet fighter pilot who is shot down... Behind Enemy Lines (whoa) and Gene Hackman is the general trying to help him get home. Look, this ain't eloquent prose. It's a war movie in broad strokes, probably particularly when it comes Eastern Europe. But. I will swear by the scene where Owen Wilson gets shot down. It is 5 minutes of absolute adrenaline. I rewatched that scene recently, and I was gripping the goddamn chair afterward. Most of the movie is entertaining, but that scene? -mwah- Perfection.
Behind Enemy Lines Trivia
Behind Enemy Lines was released on November 29, 2001.
Behind Enemy Lines was directed by John Moore.
Behind Enemy Lines has a runtime of 1h 46m.
Behind Enemy Lines was produced by John Davis.
While flying a routine reconnaissance mission over Bosnia, fighter pilot Lt. Chris Burnett photographs something he wasn't supposed to see and gets shot down behind enemy lines, where he must outrun an army led by a ruthless Serbian general. With time running out and a deadly tracker on his trail, Burnett's commanding officer, Admiral Reigart, decides to risk his career and launch a renegade rescue mission to save his life.
The key characters in Behind Enemy Lines are Lt. Chris 'Longhorn' Burnett (Owen Wilson), Admiral Leslie Reigart, Commander Adriatic Battle Group (Gene Hackman), Lt. Jeremy 'Smoke' Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht).
Behind Enemy Lines is rated PG-13.
Behind Enemy Lines is an Action, Drama, Thriller film.
Behind Enemy Lines has an audience rating of 6.2 out of 10.
Behind Enemy Lines had a budget of $40M.
Behind Enemy Lines has made $91.8M at the box office.