“Behind Enemy Lines” is a 2001 war film directed by John Moore and starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman. The story centers around Lieutenant Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson), a disillusioned U.S. Navy pilot who is eager to leave the military. His routine reconnaissance mission over Bosnia, however, turns perilous when he and his pilot, Lieutenant Jeremy Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht), photograph mass graves and are shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched by Bosnian Serb forces.
Burnett survives the crash, but Stackhouse is killed by Serbian troops. Alone and behind enemy lines, Burnett must evade enemy forces, led by the ruthless Serbian commander Sasha (Vladimir Mashkov), who is intent on capturing or killing him. Using his wits and survival skills, Burnett navigates through hostile territory, facing various dangers, including land mines and enemy patrols.
Back on the aircraft carrier, Admiral Leslie Reigart (Gene Hackman) fights bureaucratic obstacles and time constraints to organize a rescue mission. The political situation is tense, and NATO officials are reluctant to risk further escalation by sending in a rescue team. Despite the risks and against orders, Reigart orchestrates an unauthorized mission to bring Burnett home.
As Burnett eludes capture and records evidence of war crimes with a small camera, his determination and survival instincts drive him to the extraction point. The climax features a dramatic and tense rescue operation, culminating in Burnett’s successful retrieval and the exposure of the atrocities he documented.
“Behind Enemy Lines” combines intense action sequences with themes of bravery, loyalty, and the complexities of war, providing a gripping narrative of survival and heroism.