Search - Behind Enemy Lines on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Not For Children, War Violence Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 04/23/2002 Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Total Copies: 136 Genres: Action, War, Escape Film, War Adventure See Also: Behind Enemy Lines [UMD for PSP], Behind Enemy Lines [Blu-ray], Behind Enemy Lines

A television commercial for a !Sega game system that aired during the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards landed debut director John Moore a gig behind the camera of this military action thriller. Owen Wilson stars as Lt. Chris Burnett, a naval aviator aboard the U.S.S. Carl Vinson who's frustrated with the strict "hands-off" political policies that prevent him from experiencing combat against hostile Bosnian forces in his F/A-18 Superhornet jet. Burnett's commander, Admiral Reigert (Gene Hackman), thinks that the brash pilot doesn't have what it takes to be in the millitary, but the eager young officer soon gets the chance to prove his mettle. While conducting a routine photographic reconnaissance over a remote area of the Balkans, Burnett captures grisly images that serve as proof of genocidal crimes, but his plane is blown out of the sky. He's soon pursued on the ground by the forces of Lokar (Olek Krupa), a Serbian paramilitary leader intent on covering up unthinkable crimes, while Reigert defies the NATO orders of his superior (Joaquim de Almeida) and risks his career to mount a covert rescue mission. Behind Enemy Lines (2001), the first of two back-to-back releases starring Wilson and Hackman (the other being The Royal Tenenbaums), also stars David Keith, Gabriel Macht, and Charles Malik Whitfield. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Gene Hackman - Reigart
Owen Wilson - Lt. Chris Burnett
Gabriel Macht - Stackhouse
Charles Malik Whitfield - Rodway
Joaquim de Almeida - Piquet

Twentieth Century Fox's saber-rattling actioner comes to DVD in a fairly solid package. The picture looks great, presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer, preserving the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The color is crisp and clear, with solid black level and natural-looking tones throughout. The sound is most impressive, being offered in Dolby Digital 5.1. There is great use of surround, most notably during the sequence in which two fighter pilots are forced to eject. Extras are somewhat slim, but what's there is worth having. There are two commentary tracks, the first from director John Moore and editor Paul Martin Smith and the second from producers John Davis and Wyck Godfrey. Additionally, the disc provides a number of extended and deleted scenes. Many of these were cut in order to give the film a PG-13 rating, and a warning from Fox to that effect is provided. Also included is a six-minute featurette and a look at the creation of the aforementioned ejection sequence using storyboards. Lastly, while there is no trailer for the film itself, the DVD does feature a trailer for Steven Spielberg's upcoming film Minority Report. All in all, this is a well-done DVD edition, particularly for the excellent image transfer and muscular sound design. ~ Jeremy Brown, All Movie Guide