BEFORE: This time Gene Hackman carries over - and the action moves from a naval vessel attacking Chechnya to a naval vessel attacking Bosnia. This is the film I thought I was getting when I watched "Black Hawk Down", so I atone for my error tonight.
THE PLOT: 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.
AFTER: Another quite decent war film, and one with a fair amount of action. Last night's film was (mostly) talkie-talkie by comparison, plus we were cooped up on that submarine most of the time. Here Owen Wilson (last seen in "Shanghai Knights") gets a chance to run across the Eastern European landscape, and also prove he can do something besides light comedies.
Of course it's the jovial, subversive pilot has to overcome his personal self-doubt and prove to his commander (and himself) that he's a true soldier. And of course the hard-edged by-the-book commander has to defy orders and rescue him - so in that sense it's a little dramatically far-fetched, but it was still a good thrill-ride.
Also starring David Keith (last seen in "Firestarter"), Gabriel Macht (last seen in "Bad Company"), Joaquim de Almeida (last seen in "Clear and Present Danger")
RATING: 7 out of 10 walkie-talkies
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