Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Behind Enemy Lines: Seal Team 8 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 16, 2014

Does it really matter why there’s a bunch of shooting and hand to hand combat in Seal Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines? Sure, there’s a hostage, supposedly with top secret information that’s oh, so important not to divulge. And, yes, there’s an evil mastermind with plans for world domination (or something like that). And just for good measure the titular SEALs in the film are manning their rescue mission without official approval, making it all the more dangerous, a danger exacerbated by the fact that should they fail, nuclear apocalypse could well rain down on Mankind. But, really, when you get right down to it, any film like Seal Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines exists pretty much solely to set up its requisite firepower and then to let loose with a maelstrom of explosions, gunshots and improbable action set pieces, most of which this straight to video offering hands to the viewer with a minimum of fuss and bother.

Seal Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines starts pretty much in media res, simply thrusting the viewer headlong into an already developing situation and letting the chips fall where they may. Tom Sizemore is the ostensible star here, though he’s largely consigned to the sidelines as Commander Ricks, who mans the SEALs’ operational headquarters, but who doesn’t take part in the actual action. The plot concerns a beautiful woman (Aurélie Meriel) who is captured by evil mastermind who is mining uranium in Africa to build nuclear warheads. Mayhem of course ensues, with a number of surprisingly spectacular action set pieces thrown into the mix. The film is resolutely predictable, but will probably stimulate the appropriate responses in adrenaline junkies who go for this sort of fare.

Behind Enemy Lines: Seal Team 8 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Seal Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Aside from some perceptions of softness that go hand in hand with the "jiggly cam" proclivities of the film, this is a really sharp and clear looking presentation, one which boasts excellent contrast and nicely suffused and accurate looking color. The film's dense jungle locations never offer even a hint of aliasing or shimmer and the presentation is similarly free of compression artifacts.

Behind Enemy Lines: Seal Team 8 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is expectedly bombastic throughout this presentation, offering a glut of LFE and well placed discrete channelization for the onslaught of explosions and gunfire which are a regular offering throughout the film. Dialogue is presented very cleanly and clearly, and is well prioritized in even the noisiest sequences. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is exceedingly wide.

Behind Enemy Lines: Seal Team 8 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Ultimate Mission (1080p; 10:35)


• Surviving the Shoot (1080p; 5:27)


• Master of Chaos (1080p; 5:30)


• Commentary by Roel Reine

Behind Enemy Lines: Seal Team 8 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are no surprises in Seal Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines, with even the supposed "big twist" being completely predictable, but for pure popcorn munching escapism, the film gets it done with a certain hyperbolic flair, if a dearth of actual finesse. Action lovers will no doubt find enough here to warrant checking this out, and the technical merits are surprisingly solid for a direct to video release.