Behind Enemy Lines

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2:24

Behind Enemy Lines

PG-13

2001

1h 46m

Action

War

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

133 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

A Navy pilot (Owen Wilson) is shot down over enemy territory, and struggles to survive the relentless pursuit of a ruthless secret police enforcer, a deadly tracker, and countless hostile troops. With time running out, the injured pilot's commanding officer (Gene Hackman) goes against orders to carry out a desperate rescue mission.

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Critics Consensus

The plot for Behind Enemy Lines is more jingoistic than credible, and the overload of flashy visual tricks makes the action sequences resemble a video game.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Oct 14, 2010

4/5

Action movie with intense peril and devastation.

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Nov 6, 2002

The filmmakers do their best to distract us, but eventually it becomes hard to ignore that Behind Enemy Lines is one long chase sequence.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

May 9, 2002

B+

Goes over the top and beyond in grandly heroic and even superheroic style, in a way unmatched by any war movie since Rambo: First Blood Part II.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Jul 29, 2026

5/10

On average, it's a war film that loses its way with a predictable and noisy narrative that puts Owen Wilson running around amidst a stilted patriotism. [Full review in Spanish]

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Feb 22, 2026

2/4

...an effort that slowly-but-surely squanders its solid premise and impressive cast...

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Mar 2, 2025

5/10

It isn’t one of the great war movies, again and again disrupted by poor editing choices, but it’s still modest entertainment.

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Crazy P

@RT75776803 Apr 3, 2026

Owen Wilson didn't seem like he was going to be a good character for this movie but it actually turned out surprisingly interesting.

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Andy K.

@Andilucus Mar 13, 2026

The people who made this movie think you’re stupid.

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Los G

@Losmax Oct 11, 2025

The critics are unkind to this. There's nothing particularly new here, but it's a solid actioner, with a few very exciting sequences.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Aug 30, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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David G.

@CacheMoney Jul 10, 2025

Great movie from when I was younger. Still a darn good movie. Also, it is loosely based on a true story.

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David H

@RT60765788 May 26, 2025

The critics are stupid this is an excellent movie

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Behind Enemy Lines: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A Navy pilot (Owen Wilson) is shot down over enemy territory, and struggles to survive the relentless pursuit of a ruthless secret police enforcer, a deadly tracker, and countless hostile troops. With time running out, the injured pilot's commanding officer (Gene Hackman) goes against orders to carry out a desperate rescue mission.

Director: John Moore
Producer: John Davis
Screenwriter: David Veloz, Zak Penn, Jim Thomas, John Thomas
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox, Davis Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (War Violence|Some Language)
Genre: Action, War, Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Adventure
Original Language: Czech
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 30, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.9M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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