Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil was followed by a third film, Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009), which moved the setting to South America and starred Joe Manganiello. The franchise continued to spiral into lower-budget, plot-by-numbers affairs.
It succeeds on its own terms: as a lean, mean, 88-minute dose of red-blooded, uncomplicated heroism. It asks nothing of its audience except to root for the Navy SEALs and boo the North Korean colonel. In that, it delivers exactly what it promises. For fans of B-movie action and military buffs with low expectations, Axis of Evil offers a nostalgic, if not entirely guilty, pleasure. Just don’t expect the Bosnian snow, the sleek direction, or the chemistry of Hackman and Wilson. This is a different war, a different era, and a decidedly different league of filmmaking. behind enemy lines 2 axis of evil
The story follows Lieutenant James "The Rat" Paxton (played by Nicholas Gonzalez, later known for The Flash and Good Trouble ), a young Navy SEAL team leader. Paxton is a talented but cocky operator, carrying the heavy weight of his father’s legacy—a disgraced military man—and a personal mission to prove himself. He is joined by his seasoned, pragmatic best friend and spotter, Chief Carter (Matt Bushell). Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil was
The most defining characteristic of Axis of Evil is its unabashed flag-waving. Released in 2006, at the height of the Iraq War’s insurgency phase and ongoing tensions with North Korea, the film is a pure artifact of the Global War on Terror. There is no moral ambiguity. The North Koreans are the unambiguous antagonists, the American cause is just, and the heroes’ only flaw is their reckless courage. The film explicitly invokes the "Axis of Evil" speech, framing the mission as a necessary preemptive strike to prevent genocide and nuclear holocaust. This political directness is both its most dated and its most historically interesting aspect. It asks nothing of its audience except to
Meanwhile, back at the U.S. Naval Command, the reluctant authority figure is Admiral Wheeler (Bruce McGill, a character actor with gravitas from Animal House to The Insider ). Wheeler is the film’s Gene Hackman stand-in—a desk-bound strategist who must battle bureaucratic inertia and a cautious chain of command to authorize a rescue mission. He is aided by a no-nonsense Master Chief (Keith David, lending his iconic voice and presence to the role), who provides both moral support and tactical wisdom.
Peter Jae’s Colonel Song is perhaps the film’s most interesting element. While not deep, Song is given a modicum of motivation: he believes the U.S. is a paper tiger and that only through violent confrontation can Korea be free of foreign influence. He is a warrior who respects his enemy’s skill, even as he plots their destruction.
The budget constraints are visible. The North Korean landscape is clearly a Southern California desert or forest dressed with Korean-language signage. The CGI for missile launches and explosions is functional but far from photorealistic. However, the film compensates with a relentless pace. At 88 minutes, it rarely drags, moving from one firefight to the next with efficient, if unremarkable, direction.