Directed by John Moore - 2001 poster
I notice that this was John Moore's directorial debut. I think if he remade the film after more experience, it would have been vastly improved. The idea of a man on the run is as old as The Thirty-Nine Steps (even older, in fact) and there are some exciting sequences. However, the pursuing Serbian gang are such hopeless shots - including the so-called sniper, Sasha Ivanic (Vladimir Mashkov), who keeps missing the brought-down US Navy flight officer Lieut. Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson). Admittedly, he did successfully shoot the pilot Lieut. Jeremy Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) - but at close range in the back of the head.
Gene Hackman as Rear Admiral McMahon
Gene Hackman (Rear Admiral Leslie McMahon) is always a welcome addition to any movie, but he had very little acting to do. I did like his contemptuous put-down of Burnett's resignation request from the Service. You're going to fly commercial jets? Troll the friendly skies in a bus? Burnett's argument, Sir, I signed up to be a fighter pilot, not a cop. I certainly didn't want to be a cop in a neighbourhood no one cares about, cuts no ice , as he is sent with Stackhouse on a reconnaisance mission. Deliberately veering off the official flight path, they are shot down, but not before photographing a mass grave of Bosnians murdered by the Serbs. The subsequent discovery of the grave on the ground by the on-the-run Burnett, is well-done in its horror.
Up to the knees in...
On several occasions, though, the director chooses a resting place for Burnett which is in full view of any pursuing enemy - the top of a rocky spur (Burnett is a well-defined figure on the skyline). Photo opportunities rather than common sense. Moreover, leaving an empty water bottle or gun part behind is basic stupidity. How was the pursuer, Sasha, always in the right place - he had no satnav, like the USA navy! The stone Angel (?) was too much of a symbol - pieces shot away. However, I did appreciate the special effects when the trip wires blew up several pursuers - one in glorious slow motion!
Sasha Ivanic - the 'baddie'
What the film did convey was the political messiness of the Balkans War. Admiral Piquet (Joaquim de Almeida) representing the desire for 'peace' at all costs; the Serbs continuing to break the cease fire and desperate, above all, to cover up their atrocities. Although the movie made $18.7 million in its opening week (being held off top spot by Harry Potter - how gormless can movie-goers be?) and grossed $92 million worldwide - on an estimated budget of $40 million, it received generally negative reviews from the critics. Our friend, Roger Ebert, gave it 11/2 stars out of 4, and suggested it could be a comedy!: Its hero is so reckless and its villains so incompetent that it's a showdown between a man begging to be shot and an enemy that can't hit the side of a Bosnian barn. Rotten Tomatoes consensus stated, the plot is more jingoistic than credible... Oh dear, Mr. Moore. I hope your next film was better!
2001 DVD
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