"Enemy Lines" is a fictional piece set at an indeterminate point in the Bosnian War. It's about a shot-down American naval flyboy's efforts to evade murderous Serb militias, while the commander of his carrier has to buck NATO protocol to be able to stage a rescue mission. The film stars Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman, and with its rock-video visuals and over-the-top triumphalism, distributor 20th Century Fox is hoping that it will play perfectly to the sensibilities of the generation that's coming of age during the war on terrorism.
Not that everybody involved in the film is entirely comfortable with that.
"I'm not involved in those kind of decisions, but I suppose the studio felt this was a good time to [release it]," says Hackman, a former Marine with a number of military roles ("Uncommon Valor," "A Bridge Too Far," "Crimson Tide") on his substantial resume. "From what I understand, the film is tracking, as they say, and tracking very well. People like it and they like it at this time."
But Hackman is understandably wary about the times we're in, even if the fighting in Afghanistan is going remarkably well for us at the moment.
"I don't feel good about it and I don't see how anybody could feel good about us being in this war, but I suppose it's something that just had to be done," the veteran actor says.
John Moore, an Irish music video and TV commercial director who makes his feature helming debut with "Enemy Lines," thinks the advanced release date is a good idea in many ways. But he understands the feelings that Hackman expressed, and how some who share them might view the move as trying to capitalize on recent and potential tragedies.
