Behind Enemy Lines (2001 film)

Behind Enemy Lines
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Moore
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced byJohn Davis
Starring
CinematographyBrendan Galvin
Edited byPaul Martin Smith
Music byDon Davis
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • November 30, 2001 (2001-11-30)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Serbian
Budget$40 million
Box office$91.7 million

Behind Enemy Lines is a 2001 American action war film directed by John Moore in his directorial debut, and starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman. The film tells the story of Lieutenant Chris Burnett, an American naval flight officer who is shot down over Bosnia and uncovers genocide during the Bosnian War. Meanwhile, the rear admiral commanding the carrier strike group to which he is assigned is struggling to gain approval to launch a combat search and rescue mission to save Burnett. The plot is loosely based on a 1995 incident involving Scott O'Grady that occurred during the war.

Released on November 30, 2001, Behind Enemy Lines received generally negative reviews from critics. It was a box office success, taking in $91.7 million worldwide against a $40 million budget.

The film started a franchise of direct-to-video spiritual successors: Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil, Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia, SEAL Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines, co-produced by WWE Studios.