Verdict:
Behind Enemy Lines was not a particularly good action movie, but it caught people’s attention with a simple yet unique premise and one cool plane crash scene. Plus, it had Gene Hackman and Vladimir Mashkov in it. That’s about all there was to that movie.
There’s far less to say about its direct-to-video sequel, as there just isn’t much going on. It’s an achievement that it lasts 90 minutes, given how empty it feels.
A military unit is sent to North Korea to resolve a nuclear crisis. When the mission gets aborted, several soldiers get stuck in enemy territory. And of course, once things escalate, they have to save the day. So, we already start with campy idea, and only a good execution can save a plot like this…This movie’s subtitle is “Axis of Evil”. Who are we kidding?
The movie is meant to appeal with lots of mindless gunfire. But other than gunfire and explosions, there is very little to chew on. The movie is filled with silly moments. For instance, there’s a moment when a SEAL gives a gun to a clueless and tired Korean slave-laborer so this laborer can also take part in a highly important stealthy operation. The laborer promptly shoots himself, as if the movie became self-aware about its own stupidity for just a moment. You have long firefights where both sides are meters away from each other. Regrettably, Ais of Evil not silly enough to be entertaining for its entire runtime.
The acting is average, and the most well-known actors got side roles, which makes sense, as they would cost too much money in the lead role. Interestingly enough, there is no main villain.
The cinematography is the one really remarkable thing about this film. It is both terrible and also the one thing this movie has going for it. The camera moves around in every way possible, utilizing a wide range of tricks and colored filters. It’s like they found a chest full of camera equipment.
“What are all these for, Bob?”
“Don’t know, Mike, but let’s use them all!”
Unfortunately, the action also features the shakiest shaky cam I’ve seen. Even in scenes where nothing happens, the camera man has end stage Parkinson’s. At one point, the camera just shakes from one side to the other, resulting in a blurry mess, with an occasional random frame that’s in focus. All of this is done with fast editing and shots overlayed over other shots.
This sequel is supremely shallow, not bad enough to laugh at, but also not good enough to watch for pleasure.