| Behind Enemy Lines: Axis of Evil | |
|---|---|
DVD cover |
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| Directed by | James Dodson |
| Produced by | James Dodson Roee Sharon |
| Written by | James Dodson |
| Starring | Nicholas Gonzalez Matt Bushell Bruce McGill Joseph Steven Yang Glenn Morshower Keith David Peter Coyote |
| Music by | Pinar Toprak |
| Cinematography | Lorenzo Senatore |
| Editing by | Ethan Maniquis |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | October 17, 2006 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil is a 2006 war film and the sequel to Behind Enemy Lines. The film was written and directed by James Dodson, starring Nicholas Gonzalez, Matt Bushell, and Joseph Steven Yang. Despite its title, the film does not follow the first part, and was released direct-to-video on October 17, 2006.
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The story is not linked to the first part of the series. Instead, it focuses on a fictional explanation for the Ryanggang explosion in 2004, in which an unexplained mushroom cloud occurred in North Korea.
After reconnaissance satellites detect a large, three-stage Topol intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a nuclear weapon in North Korea, which can strike anywhere in the continental United States, a fictional United States President Adair T. Manning (Peter Coyote) orders a team of U.S. Navy SEALs to destroy the missile and the launch site. The team led by Lieutenant Robert James (Nicholas Gonzalez).
The Pentagon aborts the mission after it receives new information, but by the time the abort order is sent, four SEALs, including James, have already parachuted into North Korean territory. When North Korean forces led by Commander Hwang (Joseph Steven Yang) find the SEALs, two of the Navy SEALs are killed in a gun battle, and James and Callaghan are captured and tortured by North Korean troops.
After South Korean special forces rescue James and Callaghan, President Manning and the South Korean government send the SEALs and South Korean special forces to destroy the missile site. But after losing radio contact with the SEALs, the President and his top advisers believe that they have been captured again. The President decides to send B-2 stealth bombers to destroy the site, which would start a full-scale war against North Korea. The SEALs and the South Korean special forces destroy the missile silo with a bomb before the bombers reach the missile site, which averts the bombing and prevents a full-scale war.
Callaghan was sentenced and convicted of striking an officer (1 year) and disobeying an officer (10 years). As it was a black ops mission the transcript of the hearing was classified and there was no record of these incidents were recorded on his file, he was free to go.
Meanwhile James meets the president in a classified meeting and brings his mentor and teacher to receive an award.
The film closes with James' mentor saying he wasn't red flagged because his mentor had never seen anyone with James' desire to be a SEAL. During the credits there is a news report on the Ryanggang explosion.
The film followed on the footsteps of a previously released title: Behind Enemy Lines, starring Owen Wilson. Although the basic theme is credited to the first film, the plot and setting are not interlinked between either films.
It was followed by another direct-to-video sequel, Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia, which stars the professional wrestler Ken Anderson.
Axis of Evil was received very poorly in the industry and the directors were criticized for "put[ting] a bad name to a well renowned title", and as an "expectedly inferior sequel" in contrast to its predecessor. It did not come very close to the original film's smashing success at the Box Office. It currently stands at a very low 4.5/10 mark on The Internet Movie Database.