6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
A Navy navigator is shot down over enemy territory and is ruthlessly pursued by a secret police enforcer and the opposing troops. Meanwhile, his commanding officer goes against orders in an attempt to rescue him.
Starring: Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Gabriel Macht, Charles Malik Whitfield, Joaquim de AlmeidaAction | 100% |
Thriller | 68% |
War | 33% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
I'm not going to let that kid die out there while we sit around on this
ship!
If there is one truism I've encountered over my years of watching movies, it's that
if a movie has
Gene Hackman (Crimson
Tide) in it,
there
is reason to watch it. He's proven himself time and again to be one of the finest,
most
naturally-gifted actors of our time, and he once again earns my respect with his performance in
Behind Enemy
Lines,
a generic and predictable yet tense and exciting action film from 2001. Also
starring Owen
Wilson
(Drillbit
Taylor),
Behind Enemy Lines is a slick, fast-paced action extravaganza that is
better than a movie
like this deserves to be.
Admiral, you know I'd never pull a stunt like going behind enemy lines. Nope. Not me.
Behind Enemy Lines flies onto Blu-ray in a very nice looking 1080p, 2.35:1 framed transfer. The detail here is remarkably real. Look at chapter two when the pilots are eating a meal in the ship's cafeteria. Their uniforms look so natural in both color reproduction and detail that they may as well be hanging on a hanger in front of my television. This same scene does exhibit some print anomalies, including black specs and a rather large white blotch that was visible for only a split-second. There are times in the movie where these splotches are rather heavy, but again, they only last for a second or two. The vast majority of the film is free of this debris. Flesh tones are fantastically accurate, as are black levels, which are a true inky black and never overly gray or bright. There is an ever-so-fine layer of film grain that is barely noticeable over the entirety of the movie. Softness is visible in several shots, especially in the cold, isolated, winter forests. Bare tree branches during medium-wide shots can appear somewhat undefined, but the vast majority of the film is focused and razor-sharp. When the movie shifts to the cold, dreary exteriors of enemy territory instead of the clean, well-lit interior of the carrier, the image quality never suffers. It dulls a bit, but that's more due to the overcast and cold conditions outside than anything else. It holds up well, and shows us exactly what is meant to be seen. Behind Enemy Lines offers a wonderfully cinematic transfer. It's not the best, but I've seen worse, both on Blu-ray and in theaters. While I enjoy the crispness and cleanliness of a title like Fox's recent release of I, Robot, I also enjoy movies that, like this one, aren't perfect but remind me of what movies looked like at the two-bit theaters I saw them at growing up.
Behind Enemy Lines rocks Blu-ray with a relentless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. This
disc offers a natural, engaging listen in both the quieter, dialogue-driven scenes and the
numerous action extravaganzas scattered throughout the film. The football scene
at the
beginning of the movie features a surround presence that is so natural and
flawless that I was
100% convinced that my sofa was on the deck of the Carl Vinson.
Likewise, every time
a jet takes off from the carrier, the listener is placed squarely on the flight deck.
The effect is
loud, powerful, and wonderful. If you ever wanted to experience being on the
deck of an aircraft
carrier, this film's soundtrack serves as a decent substitute to the real thing in a
few scenes.
When a fighter jet flies over an area in the movie, it flies over our shoulders at
home. The jet
screams from front to rear and side-to-side with wonderful clarity and definition.
Surround
presence throughout the movie is virtually nonstop: machine gun fire is often
heard in the back,
and when it isn't we often hear a stiff, cold breeze blowing through the back
channels that
sounds real enough to make you want to grab a sweater.
Here is a funny story. My next door neighbor has a very annoying dog that barks
at anything
and everything all day long. I often hear it barking outside while I watch movies
for review, and
in chapter 16 of this film, a dog is heard barking just over my right shoulder
where I usually hear
the real-life dog. It wasn't until the character on-screen turned to look for the dog
that I realized it
was Blu-ray, not reality. Of course, just after that comes one of the most intense,
loudest, and
exciting moments in the movie where a series of booby-traps explode, pounding
the viewer into
submission. Almost all of the action scenes are just as impressive as the rest, but
if I had to give
an edge to one, it would be that found in chapter 20. It's absolutely perfect in
placing the
listener squarely in the middle of the battle with screeching bullets and pounding
explosions rocking
your listening area, and the effect is a frightening and realistic one that might
have you dodging and
looking for cover. When all is said and done, Behind Enemy Lines is now
one of my
favorite soundtracks, and it is reference-grade material all the way. In the future,
when I have
company over and they want to know what Blu-ray is all about, this is one of the
first discs I'll be
grabbing off the shelf for audio demonstration purposes.
Behind Enemy Lines infiltrates Blu-ray with two commentary tracks and a few trailers, but nothing else. The first track features director John Moore and editor Paul Martin Smith. Despite both participants being hindered by a head cold, they waste no time in discussing edits, changes to the pictures, what worked, what didn't, and the like. Both prove fun to listen to, and this film's target audience will likely enjoy listening to this track. The second commentary track features producers John Davis and Wyck Godfrey. This track never feels superfluous. There is new information to be heard, and these producers add valuable insight into all aspects of the movie. In fact, I found myself more engaged by this track than I did the first. Rounding out the supplements is Fox's usual barrage of 1080p trailers, this go-round including Behind Enemy Lines, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Kiss of the Dragon, Fantastic Four, Speed, and Phone Booth.
I make no apologies for Behind Enemy Lines being one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies. It's far from the stuff of cinema legend, but it's an entertaining action extravaganza sure to please its target audience, of which I am unashamed to be a part of. Slick, silly action movies are, have been, and always will be right up my alley, and they serve as a wonderful departure from the likes of The English Patient, The Remains of the Day, and even more highbrow war films like The Thin Red Line. "The world needs ditch diggers, too," Judge Smails once said, and Behind Enemy Lines is just that, a working man's action movie that transports us to another world where male childhood fantasies come to life and the brain can be shut off for some mindless entertainment. Behind Enemy Lines is another first-rate release from Fox in the audio and video departments, offering up a solid picture and an explosive audio mix. Unfortunately, the studio continues to skimp on the extras, but the two commentary tracks available are both engaging and informative. Behind Enemy Lines is recommended for action movie lovers.
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