In 1996, a pair of US Navy pilots were shot down over Bosnia on a reconnaisance mission from their carrier in the Adriatic. One of the pilots was shot dead, and the other went on a mad-dash run for his life. The story was reported on Sky News and it was a relief for everyone when he was safely rescued by his team.
This film tells the story of the event and adds some typical Hollywood action to it. Owen Wilson (usually a film writer, not a lead actor!) plays the part of Lieutenant Chris Burnett, and his pilot. The story starts with their life on board ship, setting the scene of the conflict and the characters involved. Burnett has just put his request to leave the Navy to his Admiral (Hackman), who is a typically tough military type. The two pilots then go on the fateful mission and are shot down by rogue militants in Bosnia. After the story of the chase through dense woodland, war torn towns and mass graves, and the subsequent rescue of Burnett, the film ends by updating you with what happened to each character.
You will be kept on the edge of your seat at times in this film, and you will truly love some of the action scenes. However you come away feeling that it was a big advert for American patriotism and that no other country on earth matters, and you will be disappointed with yet another 'baddies can never hit the goodies no matter how much they shoot' formula. |
