Behind Enemy Lines (FOX 2001)

Do you remember the Scott Grady story from the Bosnian War and his magnificent rescue performed by the Marines? Behind Enemy Lines is loosely based on his experiences.

Lt. Chris Burnett, who wants to resign from the Navy, is teamed up with Lt. Jeremy Stackhouse to conduct a reconnaissance mission over war-torn Bosnia, where a peace treaty may put the devastating war to an end. During the mission, they fly their FA-18 off course to check out a suspicious target that turns out to be the site of a mass grave that contains bodies of Bosnian Muslims.

(Infidels fighting for Muslims?! Hmmmm... maybe the United States isn't the great Satan the media and Muslims portray us as.)

The main perpetrator of the massacre, Gen. Miroslav Lokar, has the plane shot down in order to avoid having the plane obtaining evidence of the massacre. After parachuting into Serb-controlled Bosnian territory, Stackhouse is executed by Lokar's men while Burnett is on the run from the Serbs.

Burnett's commanding officer, Rear Admiral Leslie Reigart, has trouble gaining approval from his own commanding officers...

(NATO and UN just so we have that cleared up...)

...to carry out a search-and-rescue mission to save Burnett, who fear that such a move will endanger the peace process.

(Ah yes, wouldn't want a little truth to stop the so-called peace process would we?)

From encountering a major battle in a war-torn town, to mine fields, to Serb soldiers seeking the pilot, and to a highly skilled sniper, will Burnett be able to escape Bosnia, or will he suffer the same fate of his comrade?

You'll feel a lot of frustration when you watch this film, but like Scott Grady the good guys pull it out in the end. I just wish there were more men and women like Leslie Reigart (played by Gene Hackman) in our government and military.

We sure could use them.

If you want to a similar film may I suggest Rules of Engagement with Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones.

Here is the trailer for Behind Enemy Lines...