History Film / BehindEnemyLines

** The pilot in real life was USAF, whereas the film version is U.S. Navy. The pilot US Air Force captain Scott O' Grady even sued the makers of the film, saying "that 20th Century Fox in 2002 for falsely misleading the public that the film was true to life and for using him unauthorized to promote the film without his permission." He lost.

** The pilot in real life was USAF, whereas the film version is U.S. Navy.

* TheDragon: Two of them in the first movie. Sasha is cold and ruthless tracker, while Lokar's deputy Bazda is rather inept.

$$* TrappedBehindEnemyLines

* ActionSurvivor: Burnett in the original film. Being a navigator with only a sidearm for protection, he spends nearly his entire ordeal running for his life from the Serbian forces hunting him down. He only directly engages an enemy at the very end, both because there's nowhere left for him to run while he awaits rescue and because said enemy, [[spoiler:Sasha, [[ItsPersonal was the same guy who executed Stackhouse]]]].

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Piquet is a jerk, but he is right that trying to rescue Burnett could re-start the war again and cause many more lives to be lost.

Lt. Chris Burnett (Wilson) a U.S. Navy flight officcer who gets shot down over {{UsefulNotes/Bosnia}} and has to survive while trapped [[TitleDrop behind enemy lines.]] The Serbian force that is after him, and which summarily executed his pilot, is especially tenacious because during their recon mission Burnett's crew inadvertently photographed mass graves. Running ensues. Meanwhile, a task force led by Rear Admiral Reigart (Hackman) embarks on an (unauthorized) rescue mission to try and rescue Burnett.

* BulletTime: Used in the scene where Serbian troops set off a minefield while chasing Burnett.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: At the end, Burnett is fleeing through open ground ''in the snow'' but isn't hit once by the fire from dozens of Serbian paramilitary troops, mobile anti-aircraft batteries, [=APCs=], snipers, and even a tank. Instead only one poor U.S. Red Shirt in a helicopter is hit by the salvo of destruction.

* {{Expy}}: Lokar, the BigBad of first movie, bears more than passing resemblance to real-life Željko "Arkan" Ražnatović, commander of Serb Volunteer Guard. Complete with [=MP5=] submachine gun.

** [[spoiler: BigBad / DarkActionGirl: She's actually Malen, the mysterious arms dealer that the CIA knows nothing about yet is still working with, and is playing the SEAL team for fools.]]

* Expy: BigBad of first movie, leader of Bosnian Serbs Miroslav Lokar bears more than passing resemblance to real-life Željko "Arkan" Ražnatović, commander of Serb Volunteer Guard. Complete with [=MP5=] submachine gun.

* JerkAss: '''Piquet'''.

* TrappedBehindEnemyLines

* InterServiceRivalry: NATO command and the U.S. Navy in the first movie, specifically Admiral Piquet and Admiral Reigart. Subverted one on antagonists' side: while Lokar bears patches of Serb Volunteer Guard (and supposed to be an Expy of Arkan himself), colonel Bazda has insignia of Bosnian Serb Army. In other words, warlord of a paramilitary unit and officer of an actual military force.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Slovakia standing in for Bosnia in the first film. Bulgaria standing in for North Korea in the second.

** Also, there's a reference to the film ''Cast Away'', which didn't exist in 1995.

* AcceptableTargets: While Bosniaks are shown as sympathetic oppressed people, Serbs are portrayed as immoral evil-intentioned war criminals by default.

* AcceptableTargets: While Bosniaks are shown as symphatetic oppressed people, Serbs are portrayed as immoral evil-intentioned war criminals by default.

* Expy: BigBad of first movie, leader of Bosnian Serbs Miroslav Lokar bears more than passing resemblance to real-life Željko "Arkan" Ražnatović, commander of Serb Volunteer Guard. Complete with MP5 submachine gun.

* InterServiceRivalry: NATO command and the U.S. Navy in the first movie, specifically Admiral Piquet and Admiral Reigart. Subverted one on antagonists' side: while Lokar bears patches of Serbs Volunteer Guard (and supposed to be Expy of Arkan himself), colonel Bazda have insignia of Bosnian Serb Army. In other words, they are warlord of paramilitary unit and officer of actual military force.

* InterServiceRivalry: NATO command and the U.S. Navy in the first movie, specifically Admiral Piquet and Admiral Reigart.

* Expy: BigBad of irst movei, leader of Bosnian Serbs Miroslav Lokar bears more than passing resemblance to real-life Željko "Arkan" Ražnatović, commander of Serb Volunteer Guard. Complete with MP5 submachine gun.

* AnachronismStew: The F/A-18F Super Hornet depicted in the film didn't have its first flight until 1995, and then didn't enter service until 1999, making it unlikely to have flown during the Bosnian War of 1992-1995.

* ChekhovsGun: The statue, the letter, the tracking device... there's actually a lot.
* ChekhovsSkill: Burnett hides under a corpse in a mass grave to evade his pursuers at one point, and they stab piles of mud, making sure he's not hiding under there. Later on, he hides under a snowdrift to get the drop on Sasha.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: Burnett swaps his flightsuit for a dead mook's uniform to get out of an enemy-controlled town. It works, but backfires when the Serbs broadcast word that he's been killed, which makes the NATO forces turn around when they were heading to rescue him.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: At the end, Burnett is fleeing through open ground ''in the snow'' but isn't hit once by the fire from dozens of Serbian paramilitary troops, mobile anti-aircraft batteries, snipers, and even a tank. Instead only one poor U.S. Red Shirt in a helicopter is hit by the salvo of destruction.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: More like "Screw my career," but Reigart launches a rescue mission for Burnett, knowing that it'll cost him his career.