Behind Enemy Lines (From Stroud News and Journal)

Behind Enemy Lines

WITH September 11 still fresh in everyone's minds it is easy to see why the world premiere of Behind Enemy Lines was brought forward - strike while the iron is hot - particularly as this is not one of the most impressive combat films to date.

It's first showing was to a group of San Diego sailors and I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at this bonanza visual effects extravaganza.

On the upside it shows the complexity of war today compared to the absolutism of battles of old. It is set in the Balkans and not Afghanistan but you get the picture.

Of course we saw a more sophisticated view of modern hostilities in The Gulf war film Three Kings but Behind Enemy Lines is an old-fashioned boys' own interpretation ("I don't care what my orders are, were going in anyway") of what could be going on today.

Because he is frustrated with mundane reconnaissance missions over Kosovo, hotshot flier Lt Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) gives two weeks notice to his commanding officer Admiral Leslie Reigart (Gene Hackman). He signed up to be a fighter pilot not a cop on a beat no-one cares about.

Reigart doesn't take the news well and unsportingly sends Burnett plus his co-pilot Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) on an assignment over Christmas Day.

For Clare's verdict and many more arts stories, see this week's Stroud News & Journal