Behind Enemy Lines

I remember seeing this movie late one night. There was nothing else to watch, so I gave this a shot. I was pleasantly surprised. No, it does not have a big budget, so it is not going to rival a Hollywood blockbuster. If one goes into not expecting top of the line acting, cinematography, sound, and set then one probably won't be disappointed.

This is a B movie, so expect B move quality, not Spielberg. The plot was good, Thomas Ian Griffith is underrated. His martial arts skills are actually pretty good. He is not a small man, like Van Damme or Bruce Willis, but a physically imposing specimen, like Dolph Lundgren. Thisis the first movie Iremember seeing him in and I was impressed. If you want a way to kill an hour and a half, watch it.

I saw this on cable recently and got the feel that it was a tv-movie. The acting was low grade, and the story was shallow. The first scene sets a fast pace, and can pass for a cinema released movie, but after that, the entire film is a joke. It was full of plot holes, and does everything against common sense. The script even has scenes which attempt to make us feel for the characters, but fail miserably. I reason being that we dont even know the characters names, besides the hero.

The dialogue seemed as if it was written by a grade-school student, despite the numerous occasions which the characters swear their heads off. As if profanity is required for a f***ing film to be successful.

I know this comment may sound ironic, but why write these movies if theres nothing good to come out of it.

I stumbled upon the 1997 action thriller "Behind Enemy Lines"; not to be mistaken for the 2001 movie with the same name but starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman. Now, I had never even heard about this 1997 movie from writers Andrew Osborne and Dennis Cooley before now in 2022, as I sat down to watch it. So I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations for the movie.

And with the likes of Thomas Ian Griffith and Chris Mulkey in the leading roles, I can't exactly say that I was expecting this to be a top of the line movie. But still, I opted to watch it, as I hadn't already seen director Mark Griffiths' 1997 movie.

Well, honestly speaking, then "Behind Enemy Lines" was actually a fairly entertaining movie. Sure, it was a very generic war movie in terms of it being a small underdog team that beat the massive opposition. And in this case it was former U. S. marines taking on Vietnamese soldiers. Yeah, that was the storyline here, so not much points scored for originality.

It was pretty hilarious that the movie was filmed in The Philippines, but was supposed to take place in Vietnam. Sure, it would have worked, if they had done a proper effort into making it look like it was Vietnam, such as having Vietnamese actors - as there is a big difference in appearances between the Vietnamese and Philippine people, also things like not using Jeepneys which is common to The Philippines, and such details. It just took away from the authenticity of the movie. I spotted the fact that it was The Philippines right away.

"Behind Enemy Lines" is a lean back in the seat with the popcorn kind of movie, and doesn't require anything cerebral from the audience. So it was fair entertainment for the masses, especially if you enjoy these predictable late 1990s war movies.

As for the cast in "Behind Enemy Lines", then I will say that Thomas Ian Griffith actually was surprisingly good in the role of Mike Weston. And Philippine actors Mon Confiado and Spanky Manikan added a lot of flavor to the movie. It was nice to see James Karen pop up in the movie, just a shame his role was so small.

This was a watchable movie, although not a particularly outstanding or memorable one. But it was sufficient enough for a single viewing.

My rating of the 1997 movie "Behind Enemy Lines" lands on a five out of ten stars.

My friends, this is an incredibly insipid movie. How many Vietnam-era flicks are gonna be produced before someone eventually decides "enough is enough"? Ignoring such films as "Platoon" or "Apocalypse Now" or "The Deer Hunter" (truly splendid examples of cinema within the genre) and also ignoring the first "Rambo" film (a movie I embarrasingly admit to having enjoyed), I have this suspicion that some shady, weasel-like producer in sunny So. California thought to himself "Hey! I know how to make a quick buck! I'll screw a few investors outta a couple hundred grand and I'll make a, uhh... yeah! I'll make a 'Nam flick!"

Phuuleeze! Give it a rest, willya? The only people who would possibly find this movie worth watching are pre-pubescent little boys living in Idaho.

The guy/gal who writes the teaser for Cinemax screwed up again. I was hoping to get a good laugh watch Owen Wilson pretend to be a Navy officer in Behind Enemy Lines (2001), but they screwed up and put this one on instead.

Instead of laughs, I get Thomas Ian Griffith (xXx, Vampires) as an ex soldier going back to rescue his buddy, who was supposed to be dead, and some nuclear triggers. He is, in turn, rescued by a bunch of Marine misfits that lounge around on his boat in Tahiti.

No, it's not Rambo II, Braddock: Missing in Action III, Uncommon Valor, or any one of a hundred other B movies that have a similar theme. If you have seen any of those, you have seen this one.