Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia is Pretty Much What You’d Expect

51oxfqzqssl__sl500_aa240_

When the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is a producer on a film, you know Oscar gold can’t be far behind. That’s right. First The Rock (The Rundown, Walking Tall), then John Cena (The Marine), Kane (See No Evil), Steve Austin (The Condemned), Randy Couture (The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior), and now Mr. Kennedy has emerged as the WWE’s latest ring-to-screen celeb.

Surprisingly, unlike the others, Mr. Kennedy is second banana to Joe Manganiello’s Lt. Sean Macklin. Mr. Kennedy’s Chief Carter Holt is a one-liner spewing guy who likes to point out the obvious as he goes along. His shtick is tiresome after a while, but in a film like this, it’s bearable.

And that’s the whole point of a film like Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia. It’s here to entertain and that’s about it. If you like campy action movies, this is perfect for you. It’s not a hardcore blood and guts shoot-em-up, but there is a high body count.

bel3-ken

So, what happens? In this third film of the series, a group of American soldiers go on a recon mission behind enemy lines in Columbia. Bad shit happens. They have to get out. Will they? How many will survive? And did the credits say this was directed by Tim Matheson? The Tim Matheson?

Yes.

Tim Matheson, who co-starred in Animal House and A Very Brady Sequel, directed this film. It’s clear that the guy had a small budget, and actors with very short range. Of course, who sees action movies for the acting? We’re there for the action, dammit!

There’s a lot of action, explosions, stunts, and effects to go around. And while these may detract from the at times unforgivably bad acting, it reminds us that this is a direct-to-DVD movie. And at least it’s watchable.

Special features include a number of short featurettes on the making of the movie. The action sequences, the explosions, the guns, the fights, the stunts, it’s all here.

There’s also two, count ‘em, two commentary tracks. One by Matheson, Mr. Kennedy, and Manganiello; the other by IGN fans. The IGN commentary (big surprise) is a waste of time. Be thankful I had to suffer through it and you can bypass it altogether.

For what it is and never claims to be anything else, Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia earns a B. If Chuck Norris were the lead this would have been a kick-ass Delta Force movie! God bless you, Chuck Norris!!!

Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia
20th Century Fox
Starring Joe Manganiello, Mr. Kennedy, Keith David, and Tim Matheson
Directed by Tim Matheson
Rated R for violence, brief language
Running Time = 94 minutes

One thought on “Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia is Pretty Much What You’d Expect”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.