Lt. Chris Burnett (Wilson) is a top naval fighter-jet navigator who prefers flying combat missions to passively observing from the aircraft carrier stationed in the Adriatic Sea during the Bosnian civil war. His superior, Admiral Reigart (Hackman), a decorated hero, considers him trouble and sends him and pilot Stackhouse (Macht) on a Christmas reconnaissance mission. Flying into a no-go zone they get digital photos of a mass grave and illegal troop movements. It's a Serbian operation in violation of a fresh peace treaty, and the Serbs fire two missiles to bring the plane down. Hence, Behind Enemy Lines.
Owen Wilson is best known for his roles in comedy, so perhaps he was a good choice for the glib hotshot who doesn't take anything too seriously. I never would have thought it before but he plays a great action hero. His interesting bone structure (i.e. really weird nose) makes it a little more acceptable that this guy is our hero as opposed to the usual model looks of past action heroes (Stallone and Schwarzenegger excepted). While you do need to suspend some sense of reality (which tends to happen in most action movies anyway), this is still an entertaining joyride that is best seen on the big screen.