Behind Enemy Lines (2001) Movie Script
(reporter) The much-criticized Cincinnati
Accord has brought a cease-fire to Bosnia,
and it appears to be holding, prompting
NATO forces to begin a withdrawal,
which should be complete by New Year's Day,
close to the US president's
"Home by the holidays" pledge.
Yet even as the conflict winds down,
the US military remains in a high state
of readiness, eager to answer the call.
(radio) Golden Eagle, this is Hawkeye. I've got
unknown rider not responding to coms.
Suspect hostile intent.
Unclassified bandit.
Launch the alert. Launch the alert.
Sailors, let's move it out there. We need
to get this aircraft airborne in five minutes.
- Nose wheel.
- Check.
- Gun-blast diffuser.
- Clear.
- Right intake. Left intake.
- Check. Check.
- Ejection seat is safe. Arm handle.
- Copy. I show safe.
- Com IFF.
- Up and up. Let's go. Move it.
- DDI, MPCD and ETD.
- Go flight.
- FCS, ECS, AWP.
- It's all green across the board.
- OK for start.
- Copy. OK for start.
- OK, right throttle, 15 per cent.
- Copy, 15 per cent. Go for two.
Two is up. ECS turbine is online.
Copy. Nozzle coming in at 73 per cent.
- Good to go.
- Copy. Good to go.
That's a NATO bird. Stand it down.
Cat four, abort.
- What?
- That's bullshit! Are you kidding me?
Abort, abort. Suspend cat four.
Launch is canceled.
- Guys, come on. That's twice today.
- Yeah.
They're wound up tight today.
Guess that's the price of peace.
I cannot wait for this shit to be done.
OK.
Four more days.
You know what I was reading the other day?
Bill Gates has more money than Peru.
Now, he needs someone to fly his jets.
We oughta be flyin' for him.
Yeah, but you know what?
I bet Bill won't let you fly upside down.
Or fly for a rock star. I mean, if anybody
needs a good pilot, it's those guys.
Whenever you turn around we've lost another
band to some shitty hack they got flyin' 'em.
I mean, it's sad.
Navy pilot coulda saved Ritchie Valens
from bein' a one-hit wonder. That's a fact.
Cos that kid had talent.
You know, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buddy Holly...
- What about John Denver?
- Well, let's not get carried away.
Let me ask you something. How fast
do you think we're headed into the wind?
Chris, we're still on alert. If Reigart
wanders up to the tower, we're dead.
All right, let's do it.
That's the spirit.
- Rutherford. Right here.
- Incoming!
You guys ready for a little lesson in physics?
You never learn, kid.
I'm gonna take your money this week.
Wind's blowin' up a gale.
I bet you 20 bucks each
I catch it when it comes back.
- Man, you'll lose a finger along with that 20.
- This one?
All right.
Always happy to take an officer's money.
("What'd I Say" by Ray Charles)
Hey, mama, don't you treat me wrong
Come and love your daddy all night long
All right now...
Look at that, Stackhouse! Look!
That is awesome!
Hey, watch out for the catwalk!
Well, tell me what'd I say, yeah
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say...
Wilson!
On the flight deck, heads up.
NATO helo landing spot six. Spot six.
This is a lot of sorties for an action
that's winding down, Leslie.
I'm struggling to get my pilots
You understand how important it is that your
pilots don't stray from the agreed fly zones?
- This treaty is fragile.
- The routes will be flown as ordered.
The treaty depends on it.
Aernout Van Lynden. He's with Sky News.
- What is this?
- I invited him to report on the battle group.
I'd like you to give him a tour of the ship.
Show him how everything works.
Admiral, I find the press to be an intrusive
presence. It inspires showing off.
What's so funny, Admiral?
You, Admiral,
are just what the conflict needs.
- An uncomplicated man.
- I'll take that as a compliment.
But wait a second.
Did you see the one with the, uh...?
Well, well, well, looky here. Stackhouse.
- I know that's not Burnett.
- Captain? Good to see you. All right.
- Look at you, look at you.
- What are you guys doing back on board?
Well, we just finished up in Sarajevo,
and your Admiral wanted us
to pump you guys up.
Sounds like Reigart. "Be prepared."
Well, it's better to be prepared
than to be caught sleepin' in the field.
Don't you forget what you're doin' here.
What we're doing here?
Are you kidding me?
Well, I'm eating Jell-O.
Uh, he's wipin' his hands.
You know, everybody has a role to play.
See, me, I'm a marine.
We take care of the serious business.
You, you're a navy pilot,
and your role is to eat Jell-O.
You don't get to pick your fight.
It comes to you.
Yeah, I get it.
But at least give me a fight I can understand.
Vukovar? Where's the place
we flew over the other day? Sreb...?
Srebrenica.
And good luck talkin' to someone at home:
"Today's Tuesday.
We're helping these people."
"No, no, now it's switched around.
Now we're helping..." It's like a joke.
- Just be glad it's over.
- Yeah. I am.
(shouting)
Look at these guys.
See, that's exactly what I'm talking about.
Everybody thinks they're gonna get a chance
to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy.
And those days are over. They are long gone.
I used to think I'd get a chance to do it.
Now I realize I'll be eating Jell-O.
- Are you gonna eat that, by the way?
- Now you wanna eat everybody's Jell-O.
Lieutenant Burnett?
Admiral Reigart would like
to see you immediately.
- What the hell is this?
- Be prepared.
Thank you.
Maybe he wants to give you
his daughter's number.
Did you see Tennessee on Saturday?
Boy, they looked good.
I don't know anything, Lieutenant.
Now, that is cynical.
And Southerners usually aren't that cynical.
I give you a compliment
on how great your alma mater looks,
and you think I'm tryin' to pump you
for information. What does he want?
I guess you'll have to see, sir.
- (knock at door)
- Come.
- Lieutenant Burnett, sir.
- Master Chief O'Malley, thank you.
Lieutenant Burnett.
- Sir, about the football today, I know...
- I have your letter.
I understand you're interested
in leaving the navy.
Yes, sir. It's time to move on.
If you don't mind my asking,
move on to what?
Sir?
Are you gonna fly commercial jets?
Troll the friendly skies in a bus?
You've had an interesting career, Lieutenant.
I remember when you came on board.
Smart as a whip, tons of potential.
- Thank you, sir.
- And then, on September 23rd,
you received a non-punitive letter of caution
for disorderly behavior
at the China Fleet Club in Hong Kong.
Another letter a month later
for something involving Chinese New Year
at Pattaya Beach in Thailand.
One can only imagine what that was.
Just out of curiosity, Lieutenant,
what happened to you?
Sir, I signed up to be a fighter pilot.
I didn't wanna be a cop.
I certainly didn't wanna be a cop walkin' the
beat in a neighborhood no one cares about.
That and the routine on the ship
kinda wore me out.
- The routine?
- The routine.
What you don't know from experience
is that the routine, the systems checks,
the drills, the maintaining of discipline,
that's what you do to prepare for war.
- We're not at war, sir.
- Yes, we are.
Unless we're parked in San Diego Bay, you're
at war every time you step on this boat.
- You understand that?
- No, sir, I do not understand.
If we're at war, why don't we act like it?
Cos as far as I can tell, we go out,
we fly around and we come back.
Maybe we're pretending we're in the fight,
but we're not fighting, we're watching.
You should be glad you're not in a fight.
With your attitude you wouldn't last long.
Sir, I've given the navy seven good years.
I think I've served my country.
You wouldn't know the first thing
about serving your country.
You have two weeks remaining on this tour.
You will serve them in a manner
befitting a naval officer.
I'll keep your letter in my pocket.
At the end of those two weeks,
you be on your way.
You're dismissed, mister.
Sir.
O'Malley told me you dropped your letter.
He's tellin' the truth.
So you're gonna break up the band, huh?
Oh, that's good.
Hey, listen, Chris. Listen, I thought
you were kidding about getting out.
You telling me I gotta find another navigator?
Is that the deal?
I can't do it anymore. I'm done. I'm sorry.
(PA system) All hands. An air contact
believed to have originated in the North Pole
has been spotted
and is inbound to USS Carl Vinson.
No, no, it's good to hear your voice. No, no.
Yeah, they're taking care of us great.
They're putting up tinsel,
and it's very Christmasy.
No, Dad, don't wake her.
Just tell her I said "merry Christmas."
We're disappointed
that we won't be seeing you.
Well, you may get to see a lot of me soon.
Well, we understand. You got
important things to do over there.
Dad, I gotta go.
- We're very proud of you.
- Dad, I gotta get goin'.
- All right, I love you.
- Bye.
That son of a bitch!
Did you see this? He put us
on the holiday mission. Goddammit.
- Well, at least we get to fly.
- Yeah, during the one good meal of the year.
- It's almost like he doesn't like us.
- No. You, not me. You.
(PA) Merry Christmas, girls and boys.
On the flight deck it's show time.
(PA) Merry Christmas, girls and boys.
On the flight deck it's show time.
Aircraft remaining for the NATO
solo photo reconnaissance mission.
He's got a brand-new car
Looks like a Jaguar
It's got leather seats
It's got a CD player...
("player" echoing)
Wouldn't it be great to look back
and there's Britney Spears?
But wait, she wants to try flyin' the plane.
Yeah, just move the stick right there. Yeah.
We'll start over again
Grow ourselves new skin
Get a house in Devon
Drink cider from a lemon
(TV) The CincinnatiAccord verifies Serbia's
commitment to a lasting peace in Yugoslavia.
I welcome the announcement
that NATO will leave the region.
Coordinates 301506.51150 confirmed.
Sectors are all concurrent.
- You sure about that?
- I'm readin' it right here, pal.
Yeah, well, uh...
the Serbs must've bought some old U-boats,
cos we're flyin' over a lake.
Goddammit.
And a warm thank you to the US intelligence
community, ladies and gentlemen.
Yet another useless joyride at the cost
of mere millions to the US taxpayer.
Hey, hang on. Scope showing activity
in section four alpha to our left.
Must be in that forested area.
That's the demilitarized zone.
There shouldn't be any activity.
Yeah, I know, I know. But the scope
doesn't lie. There it is. Let's check it out.
We're not supposed to fly that section.
The brass'll have a shit fit.
Hey, we're on recon,
so let's recon something.
Stack, it's probably just
some locals fooling around.
Could be a good opportunity
to test our shiny new digital camera.
Why do I listen to you? All right, let's do it.
ECM is clear. GPS is synced
with new coordinates.
Steady up 0-3-4 and fly the director.
- IDEM camera is at speed.
- Got it. Going into burner.
On condition. Stand by for roll... now.
Rolling digital.
(shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
Smile, guys. You're on TV.
(jet flying overhead)
- Aren't you gonna miss all this excitement?
- Oh, absolutely.
- What is it?
- Holy shit! We're being painted!
What?!
Shit! They fired! Scoop it, now!
- Pull up! Get the nose moving!
- Roger!
- I see a single missile tracking on us.
- I don't see it. Call my turn.
Slice left. Hard!
Jesus Christ!
Where is it?
Reverse right!
Try to break the lock!
- Golden Eagle, we have been engaged.
- Roger.
- Put out decoy flares.
- Copy.
- No joy.
- Where is it, goddammit? Where is it?!
I can't see shit! Where is he?!
Jesus Christ! Second missile in the air!
Three miles and closing!
- Pull up! Change your vector!
- I got him! I got him!
(yells)
We need a bigger heat decoy.
We're screwed!
Missile's closing. 2.8... 1.8... 1 mile!
Drop the fuel tanks and pull up!
Good fireball!
Clear on top. Coming back down.
I got two missiles in sight,
both tracking for the fireball.
That's it! One down. Up we go.
- Where's the second?
- No joy. I don't have it in sight.
- He's back on us. Push over!
- Copy.
Hard left.
- I'm going for a head-on pass.
- Here he comes! Head on, right side!
He clipped us! Part of the tail's gone!
- Flight controls going to shit!
- Where is it?
He's coming back.
Missile arcing right. Break!
I got no turn left, Chris!
The controls are shot!
Nose break, right!
Shit!
Shit! Seat eject! Eject, eject!
Goddammit.
(Christmas song plays)
- You throw a hell of a party, sir.
- Yeah, I really like Christmas.
Sir, we've lost a bird, an F-18. Feet dry.
Ark Angel Zero Six.
Burnett and Stackhouse.
Goddammit. I put 'em on the holiday mission.
- Any beacon activity?
- Not yet, Admiral.
We have a radar plot of flight path
from feet dry to last contact.
Here in yellow is the assigned path.
In the red is actual.
Lost contact is here.
They're off-mission. What the hell happened?
Lt'll be tough to pick up a beacon signal,
even from a satellite.
The terrain is extremely rough.
Damn weather's sure not helping.
Contact Admiral Piquet,
alert NATO chain of command.
Make sure we have a FLASH op rep
out over all US national circuits.
And get through to Admiral Donnelly.
- No names.
- No names, sir.
Stack! Stackhouse!
Stack!
Are you OK?
Yeah.
- Shit, man. Are you OK?
- Yeah, I'm OK. You look terrible.
Yeah? Hey, man, that looks pretty bad.
Let me see this. Oh, man.
Oh, we gotta change this.
We need a field dressing on this.
Shit. Squeeze right here.
So...
where are we, Mr Navigator Man?
In the mountains north of Miciovic.
You think they saw us eject?
We are not gonna be around to find out.
Reigart'll be curious
what happened to his $40 million plane.
Forget it. I already tried.
You need to get to higher ground.
What?
You think it'll work up there?
Yeah. Just get high enough.
All right. All right, sit tight.
- Hey, Chris.
- What?
Listen, I should've dodged
that second missile.
Yeah, you should've. You blew it.
You took me down with you.
I thought you had great reflexes.
What happened?
I used to have, like, a good pilot.
Man, you're slippin'. You need to watch it.
Oh, God.
(cheering)
Oh, shit.
(shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
Urgh!
Oh, goddammit.
(muttering) Son of a bitch.
Reconnaissance mission, yes?
Not bombing mission, right?
You photograph?
(soldiers laugh)
You alone?
Correct.
No!
(whistles)
Alpha Whiskey, this is
Ark Angel Zero Six. Over.
(garbled over static) Alpha Whiskey, this is
ArkAngel Zero Six. Over. Can you read me?
- What is that?
- Sorry, sir. There's some interference.
It's the beacon from the ejector seat, sir.
- Well, shut it off.
- Aye aye, sir.
Alpha Echo, Alpha Echo, Alpha Whiskey
directs cease buzzer on Zero Six.
(beeping)
(beeping stops)
Alpha Whiskey, this is ArkAngel Zero Six.
Over. Do you read?
Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
Read you loud and clear. Go ahead.
Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
Read you loud and clear. Go ahead.
Ark Angel is down. I say again.
Ark Angel is down, and I am on the run.
Slow down. What is your count?
Minus one. Stackhouse. They shot him.
No names over the net.
Confirm your last.
Minus one. Confirmed.
Serbs in camo shot my pilot.
You're saying a uniformed soldier
killed your flight officer?
No, I'm saying they executed him.
They talked... They were talking to him,
then they shot him in the head.
All right, calm down, son.
We're working on it. Wait one.
- How soon can your team be ready?
- We're ready now, sir. All I need is a ride.
Zero Six, consult your chart.
Reposition to rally point three.
I read 133-41. Maintain radio silence.
We're comin' to get you, son.
Just get to the rally point.
- Understood?
- Zero Six copies. Out.
- Contact Piquet and Donnelly.
- Aye aye, sir.
Let 'em know I need a green light
to go get my boy.
Command and control
comes from Red Crown.
You men have three slicks loaded with
Use advisedly.
I want gimbal attachments
for all fast ropers.
Team leaders report to me
as soon as your squad is ready.
- (knock on door)
- Come.
Admiral, what's going on down there?
We have an F-18 down in southern Bosnia.
One pilot suspected dead.
Who authorized a search and rescue?
- I did.
- Call it off. Stand down, Admiral.
Maybe I didn't make myself clear. We have
pilots down. One probably already dead.
Admiral, I have spoken personally
to Bosnian military commanders.
They say the shoot-down was perpetrated
by renegade forces
attempting to disrupt the peace process.
Of course they say that.
They're also claiming, Admiral,
that your aircraft was way off-mission.
If we fly in there we create a shitstorm,
and the whole treaty will collapse.
Admiral, Burnett says
that Serb troops murdered his pilot.
Is your pilot an expert on Bosnia?
Can he distinguish between the uniforms
of Serbs, Croats and Muslims?
Because I can't, and I've been
posted here for five years.
If your man is in danger,
he should get himself into a safe zone.
That is what he's briefed and trained to do.
Listen, Leslie. I can have your fleet
commander order you to stand down,
or you can do it yourself.
Alpha Whiskey, this is Zero Six. Come in.
Zero Six, go ahead.
Zero Six is at rally point three
and standing by.
Zero Six, latest intel
says your current location
undoable for pickup.
Stand by to copy rendezvous point.
Say again your last.
I am at the rendezvous point.
You need to hump it out to a safe zone.
I set IP Cadillac. Canada 1-5,
Virginia 2-0. Read back.
No.
Negative. Negative.
I do not understand.
Why is this spot not doable for pickup?
I am good to go.
I say again, I am good to go now.
Burnett!
Zero Six, you are a combat naval aviator.
Start acting like one.
You've been shot down.
Life is tough. I am very sorry.
Now you pull yourself together.
You do whatever it takes.
Create some angles between
you and your pursuers.
Use your training. Use your head. Evade
and survive, and we will bring you home.
Understand? We will bring you home!
(shouting)
Zero Six?
Zero Six?
Someone's coming.
(frequency static)
- We lost the signal, sir.
- Shit.
- Where is he? Triangulate his position.
- We're on it, sir.
We're tracking him in the SCIF, sir.
On me.
At ease.
Sir, we were able to track the emergency
radio signal to somewhere in this radius.
It's pretty far away. But we think
the pilot transmission came from here.
This is imagery from a Northrop Grumman
relay satellite downlinked through Stuttgart.
We've hot-wired it for heat image,
and it's streaming in now.
This isn't strictly legal, sir.
OK, here we go.
- That's Burnett?
- Yes, sir.
(shouts in Serbo-Croatian)
Fuck!
What's going on? He's down.
He been shot?
They're almost on him.
Son of a bitch.
- Why isn't he moving?
- Come on, Burnett, move.
(Reigart) They're right on him!
What are they doing?
(issues orders)
What's goin' on?
Has he been killed?
He's moving. That's him.
Briggs, stay on it.
Resize and widen broadband.
- Stay with him. Stay with him.
- Plug it in with NSA.
- What the hell's going on?
- Damn it.
- That's not us. The door's closing.
- Well, fix it, for chrissakes!
We're down. It's cooked.
I want intel on this situation.
Who's chasing him, and why? Understand?
Yes, sir.
- (knock at door)
- Come.
Sorry, sir. Nothing in the last hour.
I was trying to motivate him, Tom.
Sir?
Burnett. In the radio room.
I was...
I was trying to motivate him,
but... maybe I carried it too far.
Called him by his name. How stupid. Damn.
Just human, sir.
- Tom.
- Sir?
It's why I push 'em so hard.
For times like these.
- Permission to speak freely, sir.
- Come on, Tom.
You're gonna say whatever
you're gonna say. Don't patronize me.
Sir, what in the hell are we doin'? We've got
a guy on the ground, and we're sittin' here.
It's a complicated situation.
Why isn't this all over the news?
Why isn't the president on the phone to Pale,
or whoever, makin' sure this kid gets out?
Well, he was off-mission.
Piquet has a point there.
All due respect,
Piquet's got his own agenda, sir.
Now, this kid might not have
the best attitude, but he's no idiot.
- He says he's gettin' shot at, I believe him.
- What the hell do you expect me to do?
Command tells me I gotta sit on my hands.
What else can I do?
Right.
I forgot. It's not your call.
You're damn right it's not my call!
Apology, sir. Of course,
you can't do anything.
(TV) It's been confirmed that an American
combat aircraft, an F-18 Super Hornet,
has been shot down over Bosnia.
It was hit over Miciovic in southern Bosnia
at around 6:00 yesterday morning.
Mr Burnett?
The pilot is feared dead, but his navigator
is believed to have survived.
It's about your son.
Their names are being withheld,
pending notification of their next of kin.
We still don't know who shot the F-18 down.
It's the Serbs who control
most ofsouthern Bosnia,
but they allege insurgents are to blame,
and say they're doing everything
to help locate the crew.
It's also unclear what, if any, impact
this incident will have on NATO's withdrawal...
Admiral.
You and I have known each other
for how long? Five years?
Something like that.
I've always commended your work
to your superior officers.
I've sent you information
whenever you requested it.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate your support.
And this is the thanks I get?
We have one disagreement
over how to handle a downed pilot,
and you stab me in the back?
You go to the media, to my contact,
and you make me look like an asshole.
You brought him on my boat.
His press report is accurate.
Our man is down behind enemy lines!
Now what the fuck is the problem?!
Do you have any idea how much damage this
incident may cause to the peace process?
All I know, Admiral, is that the American
people want their pilot back.
Exactly! Americans. All you care about
is your own damn pilots!
What happens when
the fighting starts again?
Will America recommit its forces
to stop a major war?
No. You don't have any control
over that little detail, do you?
You might have helped save
your man today, Reigart.
And I emphasize might.
But you have risked the lives
of thousands tomorrow.
(distant clanking)
(child's laughter echoing)
(echoing laughter continues)
(adult voice)
(truck engine starts)
Shit!
(men shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
Shit.
Argh!
Alpha Whiskey, Alpha Whiskey,
this is Ark Angel.
(knock at door)
They've got a signal. It's Burnett.
Ark Angel Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
Go ahead, Zero Six.
I'm on course with your last instructions.
(breathing heavily)
Am keyed up and waiting for your...
waiting for you to name the fairway.
Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
How you doin', son?
I don't know. You tell me, sir.
The hard bit's over. You need to get yourself,
uh, five clicks east, uh, to the sweet spot.
Understood?
Roger. Understand that spot to be friendly.
Good for birds?
That's affirmative. Spot is friendly.
You need to get there, stay out of trouble
and Big Mother will pick you up.
Next contact at, um...
Roger.
Alpha Whiskey?
Uh, go ahead, Zero Six.
Sir, I shouldn't have left Stackhouse.
Distract him.
Uh, Zero Six, your last transmission was
garbled. Let's talk about your, um... your gear.
How's it holding up?
The gear's good. I have a basic pack.
I left some of it at the crash site.
I guess I got rattled when I ejected at Mach 3.
You still got your boots,
haven't you, cowboy?
Roger. They were tied on.
You got it made.
You're an optimist, sir.
See, I had you figured for a grouch.
OK, Zero Six, just make it to the RP.
Roger.
Are you gonna be there, sir?
That's affirmative, son. Out.
He's here.
Yes, sir. I suggest we place him here.
It's open ground near the town of Hac,
well inside the safe zone.
All right, let's go for the extraction.
(Reigart)... command area responsibility.
Ingress will be north, egress south.
From the radio contacts, you can see he has
basically circled back towards the crash site.
Call sign is "Avalanche."
Authenticate: "Romeo Two, X-ray."
Continue: "Bulldog." Delay: "Cycle."
Abort is "Washdown."
Aircraft down is "Cobalt."
Success is "Ripper."
- Captain, you can take it from here.
- Thank you, sir.
Bravo will establish a perimeter, then
haul ass back to the helo on my command...
Admiral Reigart.
Let me introduce Colonel Brigand.
He will conduct the pickup.
- Sir, my team is ready now.
- Get me Admiral Donnelly.
I have spoken with Admiral Donnelly
and have his full support.
You will stand down.
("The Wanderer" by Dion on radio)
(Stackhouse, whispering) Chris.
("The Wanderer" continues)
Hey!
Yeah.
You American?
(speaks Serbo-Croatian)
Nine millimeters?
Nine millimeter.
Do you have water?
Water? No water.
Thanks.
It's good.
Ice Cube.
Yeah. I like Ice Cube.
I like all hip-hop, uh, rap music.
West Coast, East Coast.
NWA, Public Enemy.
(raps) They said stop, freeze
I got froze up
because I'm public enemy number one
One, one, one, one
That's good. That's good, that's good.
You know where we're going?
Hac.
Hac? That's good. Good.
Jesus Christ!
Tell him to go!
Hey, come on! Come on!
Hey. Bonjour.
Come on. Come on, let's go. Let's go, OK?
Whoa, whoa. Hold it. I'm an American soldier
that's been shot down.
Shut up.
(speaking Serbo-Croatian)
- What were you bombing?
- No bombing. We were taking photographs.
Photographs of what? Of what?!
Lokar's come back here again,
killing everyone.
It's true. Lokar killed everyone. Children,
women... Buried them up in the hills.
In the hills?
Yes, I saw them. I saw the graves.
Yes, I saw them. I saw the bodies in the hills.
Tell him. I am an American.
I am on your side.
- That's what I'm sayin'. We're on your...
- Then you go outside.
Tell them you are an American.
- They don't kill American.
- Ice Cube, tell them.
Tell this guy that we have
photographs that can help...
Bullshit!
America say they make them sign deal.
- I swear to God...
- But they already break it!
America government for shit! Now go!
(heavily distorted breathing)
(static)
(speaks Serbo-Croatian)
(gunfire continues)
Hey, hey, hey...
It's OK. It's me.
Come on.
Time?
Three minutes, sir.
Stop! Shh.
(distant helicopter)
Let's go.
(phone rings)
Reigart.
(Piquet) Leslie, I'm afraid there's bad news.
The Bosnian-Serb Fourth Army Patrol
found Lieutenant Burnett near Hac.
I regret to inform you
that Lieutenant Burnett is...
dead.
- I am sorry, Leslie.
- Thank you.
There's meant to be a peace deal.
Hac was meant to be a safe haven.
Yet once again in Bosnia,
that's proved an illusion.
And in the midst of fighting
around the southern enclave,
Bosnian Serb forces announced they'd found
the body of the American navigator,
Lieutenant Chris Burnett,
whose plane was shot down two days ago.
The Serb authorities are claiming
he was shot by Muslim guerrillas,
opposed to the recently signed
Cincinnati Peace Accord.
(CNN reporter) The Serbs say the body
was discovered by one of their teams
in a search-and-rescue attempt
since the F-18 was shot down two days ago.
This incident is bound to spoil NATO's hopes
for a clean exit from the Balkans,
and frustrates US military leaders, only days
away from a withdrawal from Bosnia.
(Sky reporter) For NATO's forces
on the eve of their departure,
the news ofLieutenant Burnett's death
comes as another dark blow
at the end ofa disturbing and ultimately
unsuccessful chapter in the alliance's history.
Savior Six, Savior Six
from Gold Eagle command.
Be advised the package is not in position.
Mission is scrubbed.
Return to base immediately.
Hey!
Hey! Wait!
We're here!
Come on! Fuck! Damn it!
We're right here!
You've gotta be shitting me!
Son of a bitch!
They killed him, and we did nothing!
- Captain...
- We did nothing!
We did nothing.
We were right here.
We were right... Fuck!
What's that?
It's not safe here. We'll keep going.
No. You go.
They killed my pilot
because we took pictures of the graves.
And I know where they are.
And I'm gonna get 'em,
so he didn't die for no reason.
Don't follow me.
It's safer here.
Shit.
Goddamn. Why is this off?
Why is this off? Why is this...?
(bird squawking)
Come on.
Come on! Goddammit!
All right. OK. OK, come on. Come on.
Yeah! Yeah. Yeah.
(PA) For the information of all hands,
this ship will be relieved on station.
It will set course for home base,
effective 2300 this evening.
- Sir? Your presence is requested in the SCIF.
- All right, thank you.
(beeping)
It's the homing beacon, sir.
On the second ejection seat.
The only way to reactivate it
is from the seat, manually.
- How long has that been on?
- Seven minutes.
Sir, you've gotta be very familiar
with our systems to reactivate that beacon.
- That's Burnett.
- Sir, it could be a setup.
It's a radio transmission.
They are hearing the same music.
Sir, I agree.
Sir, we really should notify NATO command,
or at least contact Donnelly for clearance.
- Of course, that will take a lot of time.
- Tom, I get it. We wait, Burnett dies.
Piquet was very clear with his objections, sir.
- You will lose your command for this.
- So be it.
I'm not gonna let that kid die out there
while we sit around on this ship!
OK. All right. OK.
OK, all right.
Goddamn!
(explosion in distance)
Gentlemen,
I wanna make one thing clear before we leave.
I intend to put you in harm's way.
Any man who doesn't wish to join
this mission, step away right now.
All right, then.
Let's go get our boy back.
About two clicks up this valley,
we're gonna make a hard right.
(helicopters approaching)
(beeping)
(yells)
Argh!
Argh...
(rumbling)
(shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
(Reigart) There he is. There he is!
Come on! Come on!
Damn it! What the hell is he waiting for?
Come on!
Come on! Come on, kid!
It's too hot to set down.
We'll have to cover him aloft.
Goddammit!
Come on!
OK.
Go!
Captain, fast rope. Go get him.
Sir, he's on the rope.
- Sniper in the open.
- We'll take him.
Come on, son. Come on!
Go!
They got him! Pull up! Pull up!
Hey, Chris.
Hey, Glen.
Admiral.
This is why they killed Stackhouse.
Admiral?
You were holding a letter for me.
I'd like to get it back.
I think I can find it.
("The Rescue Blues" by Ryan Adams)
And everybody wants to see you suffer
They know that you need the pain so much
They throw you up a rope
when you're too high to cruise, baby...
Lord, you lose, lady
Then they charge you with the rescue blues
The rescue blues
And everybody wants to see you fall
That's why they always love
to get you high, high
And everybody knows
you need the pain so much, lady
Keep in touch, baby
Just don't charge me
with your rescue blues
Oh, oh
Rescue blues
Accord has brought a cease-fire to Bosnia,
and it appears to be holding, prompting
NATO forces to begin a withdrawal,
which should be complete by New Year's Day,
close to the US president's
"Home by the holidays" pledge.
Yet even as the conflict winds down,
the US military remains in a high state
of readiness, eager to answer the call.
(radio) Golden Eagle, this is Hawkeye. I've got
unknown rider not responding to coms.
Suspect hostile intent.
Unclassified bandit.
Launch the alert. Launch the alert.
Sailors, let's move it out there. We need
to get this aircraft airborne in five minutes.
- Nose wheel.
- Check.
- Gun-blast diffuser.
- Clear.
- Right intake. Left intake.
- Check. Check.
- Ejection seat is safe. Arm handle.
- Copy. I show safe.
- Com IFF.
- Up and up. Let's go. Move it.
- DDI, MPCD and ETD.
- Go flight.
- FCS, ECS, AWP.
- It's all green across the board.
- OK for start.
- Copy. OK for start.
- OK, right throttle, 15 per cent.
- Copy, 15 per cent. Go for two.
Two is up. ECS turbine is online.
Copy. Nozzle coming in at 73 per cent.
- Good to go.
- Copy. Good to go.
That's a NATO bird. Stand it down.
Cat four, abort.
- What?
- That's bullshit! Are you kidding me?
Abort, abort. Suspend cat four.
Launch is canceled.
- Guys, come on. That's twice today.
- Yeah.
They're wound up tight today.
Guess that's the price of peace.
I cannot wait for this shit to be done.
OK.
Four more days.
You know what I was reading the other day?
Bill Gates has more money than Peru.
Now, he needs someone to fly his jets.
We oughta be flyin' for him.
Yeah, but you know what?
I bet Bill won't let you fly upside down.
Or fly for a rock star. I mean, if anybody
needs a good pilot, it's those guys.
Whenever you turn around we've lost another
band to some shitty hack they got flyin' 'em.
I mean, it's sad.
Navy pilot coulda saved Ritchie Valens
from bein' a one-hit wonder. That's a fact.
Cos that kid had talent.
You know, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buddy Holly...
- What about John Denver?
- Well, let's not get carried away.
Let me ask you something. How fast
do you think we're headed into the wind?
Chris, we're still on alert. If Reigart
wanders up to the tower, we're dead.
All right, let's do it.
That's the spirit.
- Rutherford. Right here.
- Incoming!
You guys ready for a little lesson in physics?
You never learn, kid.
I'm gonna take your money this week.
Wind's blowin' up a gale.
I bet you 20 bucks each
I catch it when it comes back.
- Man, you'll lose a finger along with that 20.
- This one?
All right.
Always happy to take an officer's money.
("What'd I Say" by Ray Charles)
Hey, mama, don't you treat me wrong
Come and love your daddy all night long
All right now...
Look at that, Stackhouse! Look!
That is awesome!
Hey, watch out for the catwalk!
Well, tell me what'd I say, yeah
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say...
Wilson!
On the flight deck, heads up.
NATO helo landing spot six. Spot six.
This is a lot of sorties for an action
that's winding down, Leslie.
I'm struggling to get my pilots
You understand how important it is that your
pilots don't stray from the agreed fly zones?
- This treaty is fragile.
- The routes will be flown as ordered.
The treaty depends on it.
Aernout Van Lynden. He's with Sky News.
- What is this?
- I invited him to report on the battle group.
I'd like you to give him a tour of the ship.
Show him how everything works.
Admiral, I find the press to be an intrusive
presence. It inspires showing off.
What's so funny, Admiral?
You, Admiral,
are just what the conflict needs.
- An uncomplicated man.
- I'll take that as a compliment.
But wait a second.
Did you see the one with the, uh...?
Well, well, well, looky here. Stackhouse.
- I know that's not Burnett.
- Captain? Good to see you. All right.
- Look at you, look at you.
- What are you guys doing back on board?
Well, we just finished up in Sarajevo,
and your Admiral wanted us
to pump you guys up.
Sounds like Reigart. "Be prepared."
Well, it's better to be prepared
than to be caught sleepin' in the field.
Don't you forget what you're doin' here.
What we're doing here?
Are you kidding me?
Well, I'm eating Jell-O.
Uh, he's wipin' his hands.
You know, everybody has a role to play.
See, me, I'm a marine.
We take care of the serious business.
You, you're a navy pilot,
and your role is to eat Jell-O.
You don't get to pick your fight.
It comes to you.
Yeah, I get it.
But at least give me a fight I can understand.
Vukovar? Where's the place
we flew over the other day? Sreb...?
Srebrenica.
And good luck talkin' to someone at home:
"Today's Tuesday.
We're helping these people."
"No, no, now it's switched around.
Now we're helping..." It's like a joke.
- Just be glad it's over.
- Yeah. I am.
(shouting)
Look at these guys.
See, that's exactly what I'm talking about.
Everybody thinks they're gonna get a chance
to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy.
And those days are over. They are long gone.
I used to think I'd get a chance to do it.
Now I realize I'll be eating Jell-O.
- Are you gonna eat that, by the way?
- Now you wanna eat everybody's Jell-O.
Lieutenant Burnett?
Admiral Reigart would like
to see you immediately.
- What the hell is this?
- Be prepared.
Thank you.
Maybe he wants to give you
his daughter's number.
Did you see Tennessee on Saturday?
Boy, they looked good.
I don't know anything, Lieutenant.
Now, that is cynical.
And Southerners usually aren't that cynical.
I give you a compliment
on how great your alma mater looks,
and you think I'm tryin' to pump you
for information. What does he want?
I guess you'll have to see, sir.
- (knock at door)
- Come.
- Lieutenant Burnett, sir.
- Master Chief O'Malley, thank you.
Lieutenant Burnett.
- Sir, about the football today, I know...
- I have your letter.
I understand you're interested
in leaving the navy.
Yes, sir. It's time to move on.
If you don't mind my asking,
move on to what?
Sir?
Are you gonna fly commercial jets?
Troll the friendly skies in a bus?
You've had an interesting career, Lieutenant.
I remember when you came on board.
Smart as a whip, tons of potential.
- Thank you, sir.
- And then, on September 23rd,
you received a non-punitive letter of caution
for disorderly behavior
at the China Fleet Club in Hong Kong.
Another letter a month later
for something involving Chinese New Year
at Pattaya Beach in Thailand.
One can only imagine what that was.
Just out of curiosity, Lieutenant,
what happened to you?
Sir, I signed up to be a fighter pilot.
I didn't wanna be a cop.
I certainly didn't wanna be a cop walkin' the
beat in a neighborhood no one cares about.
That and the routine on the ship
kinda wore me out.
- The routine?
- The routine.
What you don't know from experience
is that the routine, the systems checks,
the drills, the maintaining of discipline,
that's what you do to prepare for war.
- We're not at war, sir.
- Yes, we are.
Unless we're parked in San Diego Bay, you're
at war every time you step on this boat.
- You understand that?
- No, sir, I do not understand.
If we're at war, why don't we act like it?
Cos as far as I can tell, we go out,
we fly around and we come back.
Maybe we're pretending we're in the fight,
but we're not fighting, we're watching.
You should be glad you're not in a fight.
With your attitude you wouldn't last long.
Sir, I've given the navy seven good years.
I think I've served my country.
You wouldn't know the first thing
about serving your country.
You have two weeks remaining on this tour.
You will serve them in a manner
befitting a naval officer.
I'll keep your letter in my pocket.
At the end of those two weeks,
you be on your way.
You're dismissed, mister.
Sir.
O'Malley told me you dropped your letter.
He's tellin' the truth.
So you're gonna break up the band, huh?
Oh, that's good.
Hey, listen, Chris. Listen, I thought
you were kidding about getting out.
You telling me I gotta find another navigator?
Is that the deal?
I can't do it anymore. I'm done. I'm sorry.
(PA system) All hands. An air contact
believed to have originated in the North Pole
has been spotted
and is inbound to USS Carl Vinson.
No, no, it's good to hear your voice. No, no.
Yeah, they're taking care of us great.
They're putting up tinsel,
and it's very Christmasy.
No, Dad, don't wake her.
Just tell her I said "merry Christmas."
We're disappointed
that we won't be seeing you.
Well, you may get to see a lot of me soon.
Well, we understand. You got
important things to do over there.
Dad, I gotta go.
- We're very proud of you.
- Dad, I gotta get goin'.
- All right, I love you.
- Bye.
That son of a bitch!
Did you see this? He put us
on the holiday mission. Goddammit.
- Well, at least we get to fly.
- Yeah, during the one good meal of the year.
- It's almost like he doesn't like us.
- No. You, not me. You.
(PA) Merry Christmas, girls and boys.
On the flight deck it's show time.
(PA) Merry Christmas, girls and boys.
On the flight deck it's show time.
Aircraft remaining for the NATO
solo photo reconnaissance mission.
He's got a brand-new car
Looks like a Jaguar
It's got leather seats
It's got a CD player...
("player" echoing)
Wouldn't it be great to look back
and there's Britney Spears?
But wait, she wants to try flyin' the plane.
Yeah, just move the stick right there. Yeah.
We'll start over again
Grow ourselves new skin
Get a house in Devon
Drink cider from a lemon
(TV) The CincinnatiAccord verifies Serbia's
commitment to a lasting peace in Yugoslavia.
I welcome the announcement
that NATO will leave the region.
Coordinates 301506.51150 confirmed.
Sectors are all concurrent.
- You sure about that?
- I'm readin' it right here, pal.
Yeah, well, uh...
the Serbs must've bought some old U-boats,
cos we're flyin' over a lake.
Goddammit.
And a warm thank you to the US intelligence
community, ladies and gentlemen.
Yet another useless joyride at the cost
of mere millions to the US taxpayer.
Hey, hang on. Scope showing activity
in section four alpha to our left.
Must be in that forested area.
That's the demilitarized zone.
There shouldn't be any activity.
Yeah, I know, I know. But the scope
doesn't lie. There it is. Let's check it out.
We're not supposed to fly that section.
The brass'll have a shit fit.
Hey, we're on recon,
so let's recon something.
Stack, it's probably just
some locals fooling around.
Could be a good opportunity
to test our shiny new digital camera.
Why do I listen to you? All right, let's do it.
ECM is clear. GPS is synced
with new coordinates.
Steady up 0-3-4 and fly the director.
- IDEM camera is at speed.
- Got it. Going into burner.
On condition. Stand by for roll... now.
Rolling digital.
(shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
Smile, guys. You're on TV.
(jet flying overhead)
- Aren't you gonna miss all this excitement?
- Oh, absolutely.
- What is it?
- Holy shit! We're being painted!
What?!
Shit! They fired! Scoop it, now!
- Pull up! Get the nose moving!
- Roger!
- I see a single missile tracking on us.
- I don't see it. Call my turn.
Slice left. Hard!
Jesus Christ!
Where is it?
Reverse right!
Try to break the lock!
- Golden Eagle, we have been engaged.
- Roger.
- Put out decoy flares.
- Copy.
- No joy.
- Where is it, goddammit? Where is it?!
I can't see shit! Where is he?!
Jesus Christ! Second missile in the air!
Three miles and closing!
- Pull up! Change your vector!
- I got him! I got him!
(yells)
We need a bigger heat decoy.
We're screwed!
Missile's closing. 2.8... 1.8... 1 mile!
Drop the fuel tanks and pull up!
Good fireball!
Clear on top. Coming back down.
I got two missiles in sight,
both tracking for the fireball.
That's it! One down. Up we go.
- Where's the second?
- No joy. I don't have it in sight.
- He's back on us. Push over!
- Copy.
Hard left.
- I'm going for a head-on pass.
- Here he comes! Head on, right side!
He clipped us! Part of the tail's gone!
- Flight controls going to shit!
- Where is it?
He's coming back.
Missile arcing right. Break!
I got no turn left, Chris!
The controls are shot!
Nose break, right!
Shit!
Shit! Seat eject! Eject, eject!
Goddammit.
(Christmas song plays)
- You throw a hell of a party, sir.
- Yeah, I really like Christmas.
Sir, we've lost a bird, an F-18. Feet dry.
Ark Angel Zero Six.
Burnett and Stackhouse.
Goddammit. I put 'em on the holiday mission.
- Any beacon activity?
- Not yet, Admiral.
We have a radar plot of flight path
from feet dry to last contact.
Here in yellow is the assigned path.
In the red is actual.
Lost contact is here.
They're off-mission. What the hell happened?
Lt'll be tough to pick up a beacon signal,
even from a satellite.
The terrain is extremely rough.
Damn weather's sure not helping.
Contact Admiral Piquet,
alert NATO chain of command.
Make sure we have a FLASH op rep
out over all US national circuits.
And get through to Admiral Donnelly.
- No names.
- No names, sir.
Stack! Stackhouse!
Stack!
Are you OK?
Yeah.
- Shit, man. Are you OK?
- Yeah, I'm OK. You look terrible.
Yeah? Hey, man, that looks pretty bad.
Let me see this. Oh, man.
Oh, we gotta change this.
We need a field dressing on this.
Shit. Squeeze right here.
So...
where are we, Mr Navigator Man?
In the mountains north of Miciovic.
You think they saw us eject?
We are not gonna be around to find out.
Reigart'll be curious
what happened to his $40 million plane.
Forget it. I already tried.
You need to get to higher ground.
What?
You think it'll work up there?
Yeah. Just get high enough.
All right. All right, sit tight.
- Hey, Chris.
- What?
Listen, I should've dodged
that second missile.
Yeah, you should've. You blew it.
You took me down with you.
I thought you had great reflexes.
What happened?
I used to have, like, a good pilot.
Man, you're slippin'. You need to watch it.
Oh, God.
(cheering)
Oh, shit.
(shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
Urgh!
Oh, goddammit.
(muttering) Son of a bitch.
Reconnaissance mission, yes?
Not bombing mission, right?
You photograph?
(soldiers laugh)
You alone?
Correct.
No!
(whistles)
Alpha Whiskey, this is
Ark Angel Zero Six. Over.
(garbled over static) Alpha Whiskey, this is
ArkAngel Zero Six. Over. Can you read me?
- What is that?
- Sorry, sir. There's some interference.
It's the beacon from the ejector seat, sir.
- Well, shut it off.
- Aye aye, sir.
Alpha Echo, Alpha Echo, Alpha Whiskey
directs cease buzzer on Zero Six.
(beeping)
(beeping stops)
Alpha Whiskey, this is ArkAngel Zero Six.
Over. Do you read?
Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
Read you loud and clear. Go ahead.
Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
Read you loud and clear. Go ahead.
Ark Angel is down. I say again.
Ark Angel is down, and I am on the run.
Slow down. What is your count?
Minus one. Stackhouse. They shot him.
No names over the net.
Confirm your last.
Minus one. Confirmed.
Serbs in camo shot my pilot.
You're saying a uniformed soldier
killed your flight officer?
No, I'm saying they executed him.
They talked... They were talking to him,
then they shot him in the head.
All right, calm down, son.
We're working on it. Wait one.
- How soon can your team be ready?
- We're ready now, sir. All I need is a ride.
Zero Six, consult your chart.
Reposition to rally point three.
I read 133-41. Maintain radio silence.
We're comin' to get you, son.
Just get to the rally point.
- Understood?
- Zero Six copies. Out.
- Contact Piquet and Donnelly.
- Aye aye, sir.
Let 'em know I need a green light
to go get my boy.
Command and control
comes from Red Crown.
You men have three slicks loaded with
Use advisedly.
I want gimbal attachments
for all fast ropers.
Team leaders report to me
as soon as your squad is ready.
- (knock on door)
- Come.
Admiral, what's going on down there?
We have an F-18 down in southern Bosnia.
One pilot suspected dead.
Who authorized a search and rescue?
- I did.
- Call it off. Stand down, Admiral.
Maybe I didn't make myself clear. We have
pilots down. One probably already dead.
Admiral, I have spoken personally
to Bosnian military commanders.
They say the shoot-down was perpetrated
by renegade forces
attempting to disrupt the peace process.
Of course they say that.
They're also claiming, Admiral,
that your aircraft was way off-mission.
If we fly in there we create a shitstorm,
and the whole treaty will collapse.
Admiral, Burnett says
that Serb troops murdered his pilot.
Is your pilot an expert on Bosnia?
Can he distinguish between the uniforms
of Serbs, Croats and Muslims?
Because I can't, and I've been
posted here for five years.
If your man is in danger,
he should get himself into a safe zone.
That is what he's briefed and trained to do.
Listen, Leslie. I can have your fleet
commander order you to stand down,
or you can do it yourself.
Alpha Whiskey, this is Zero Six. Come in.
Zero Six, go ahead.
Zero Six is at rally point three
and standing by.
Zero Six, latest intel
says your current location
undoable for pickup.
Stand by to copy rendezvous point.
Say again your last.
I am at the rendezvous point.
You need to hump it out to a safe zone.
I set IP Cadillac. Canada 1-5,
Virginia 2-0. Read back.
No.
Negative. Negative.
I do not understand.
Why is this spot not doable for pickup?
I am good to go.
I say again, I am good to go now.
Burnett!
Zero Six, you are a combat naval aviator.
Start acting like one.
You've been shot down.
Life is tough. I am very sorry.
Now you pull yourself together.
You do whatever it takes.
Create some angles between
you and your pursuers.
Use your training. Use your head. Evade
and survive, and we will bring you home.
Understand? We will bring you home!
(shouting)
Zero Six?
Zero Six?
Someone's coming.
(frequency static)
- We lost the signal, sir.
- Shit.
- Where is he? Triangulate his position.
- We're on it, sir.
We're tracking him in the SCIF, sir.
On me.
At ease.
Sir, we were able to track the emergency
radio signal to somewhere in this radius.
It's pretty far away. But we think
the pilot transmission came from here.
This is imagery from a Northrop Grumman
relay satellite downlinked through Stuttgart.
We've hot-wired it for heat image,
and it's streaming in now.
This isn't strictly legal, sir.
OK, here we go.
- That's Burnett?
- Yes, sir.
(shouts in Serbo-Croatian)
Fuck!
What's going on? He's down.
He been shot?
They're almost on him.
Son of a bitch.
- Why isn't he moving?
- Come on, Burnett, move.
(Reigart) They're right on him!
What are they doing?
(issues orders)
What's goin' on?
Has he been killed?
He's moving. That's him.
Briggs, stay on it.
Resize and widen broadband.
- Stay with him. Stay with him.
- Plug it in with NSA.
- What the hell's going on?
- Damn it.
- That's not us. The door's closing.
- Well, fix it, for chrissakes!
We're down. It's cooked.
I want intel on this situation.
Who's chasing him, and why? Understand?
Yes, sir.
- (knock at door)
- Come.
Sorry, sir. Nothing in the last hour.
I was trying to motivate him, Tom.
Sir?
Burnett. In the radio room.
I was...
I was trying to motivate him,
but... maybe I carried it too far.
Called him by his name. How stupid. Damn.
Just human, sir.
- Tom.
- Sir?
It's why I push 'em so hard.
For times like these.
- Permission to speak freely, sir.
- Come on, Tom.
You're gonna say whatever
you're gonna say. Don't patronize me.
Sir, what in the hell are we doin'? We've got
a guy on the ground, and we're sittin' here.
It's a complicated situation.
Why isn't this all over the news?
Why isn't the president on the phone to Pale,
or whoever, makin' sure this kid gets out?
Well, he was off-mission.
Piquet has a point there.
All due respect,
Piquet's got his own agenda, sir.
Now, this kid might not have
the best attitude, but he's no idiot.
- He says he's gettin' shot at, I believe him.
- What the hell do you expect me to do?
Command tells me I gotta sit on my hands.
What else can I do?
Right.
I forgot. It's not your call.
You're damn right it's not my call!
Apology, sir. Of course,
you can't do anything.
(TV) It's been confirmed that an American
combat aircraft, an F-18 Super Hornet,
has been shot down over Bosnia.
It was hit over Miciovic in southern Bosnia
at around 6:00 yesterday morning.
Mr Burnett?
The pilot is feared dead, but his navigator
is believed to have survived.
It's about your son.
Their names are being withheld,
pending notification of their next of kin.
We still don't know who shot the F-18 down.
It's the Serbs who control
most ofsouthern Bosnia,
but they allege insurgents are to blame,
and say they're doing everything
to help locate the crew.
It's also unclear what, if any, impact
this incident will have on NATO's withdrawal...
Admiral.
You and I have known each other
for how long? Five years?
Something like that.
I've always commended your work
to your superior officers.
I've sent you information
whenever you requested it.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate your support.
And this is the thanks I get?
We have one disagreement
over how to handle a downed pilot,
and you stab me in the back?
You go to the media, to my contact,
and you make me look like an asshole.
You brought him on my boat.
His press report is accurate.
Our man is down behind enemy lines!
Now what the fuck is the problem?!
Do you have any idea how much damage this
incident may cause to the peace process?
All I know, Admiral, is that the American
people want their pilot back.
Exactly! Americans. All you care about
is your own damn pilots!
What happens when
the fighting starts again?
Will America recommit its forces
to stop a major war?
No. You don't have any control
over that little detail, do you?
You might have helped save
your man today, Reigart.
And I emphasize might.
But you have risked the lives
of thousands tomorrow.
(distant clanking)
(child's laughter echoing)
(echoing laughter continues)
(adult voice)
(truck engine starts)
Shit!
(men shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
Shit.
Argh!
Alpha Whiskey, Alpha Whiskey,
this is Ark Angel.
(knock at door)
They've got a signal. It's Burnett.
Ark Angel Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
Go ahead, Zero Six.
I'm on course with your last instructions.
(breathing heavily)
Am keyed up and waiting for your...
waiting for you to name the fairway.
Zero Six, this is Alpha Whiskey.
How you doin', son?
I don't know. You tell me, sir.
The hard bit's over. You need to get yourself,
uh, five clicks east, uh, to the sweet spot.
Understood?
Roger. Understand that spot to be friendly.
Good for birds?
That's affirmative. Spot is friendly.
You need to get there, stay out of trouble
and Big Mother will pick you up.
Next contact at, um...
Roger.
Alpha Whiskey?
Uh, go ahead, Zero Six.
Sir, I shouldn't have left Stackhouse.
Distract him.
Uh, Zero Six, your last transmission was
garbled. Let's talk about your, um... your gear.
How's it holding up?
The gear's good. I have a basic pack.
I left some of it at the crash site.
I guess I got rattled when I ejected at Mach 3.
You still got your boots,
haven't you, cowboy?
Roger. They were tied on.
You got it made.
You're an optimist, sir.
See, I had you figured for a grouch.
OK, Zero Six, just make it to the RP.
Roger.
Are you gonna be there, sir?
That's affirmative, son. Out.
He's here.
Yes, sir. I suggest we place him here.
It's open ground near the town of Hac,
well inside the safe zone.
All right, let's go for the extraction.
(Reigart)... command area responsibility.
Ingress will be north, egress south.
From the radio contacts, you can see he has
basically circled back towards the crash site.
Call sign is "Avalanche."
Authenticate: "Romeo Two, X-ray."
Continue: "Bulldog." Delay: "Cycle."
Abort is "Washdown."
Aircraft down is "Cobalt."
Success is "Ripper."
- Captain, you can take it from here.
- Thank you, sir.
Bravo will establish a perimeter, then
haul ass back to the helo on my command...
Admiral Reigart.
Let me introduce Colonel Brigand.
He will conduct the pickup.
- Sir, my team is ready now.
- Get me Admiral Donnelly.
I have spoken with Admiral Donnelly
and have his full support.
You will stand down.
("The Wanderer" by Dion on radio)
(Stackhouse, whispering) Chris.
("The Wanderer" continues)
Hey!
Yeah.
You American?
(speaks Serbo-Croatian)
Nine millimeters?
Nine millimeter.
Do you have water?
Water? No water.
Thanks.
It's good.
Ice Cube.
Yeah. I like Ice Cube.
I like all hip-hop, uh, rap music.
West Coast, East Coast.
NWA, Public Enemy.
(raps) They said stop, freeze
I got froze up
because I'm public enemy number one
One, one, one, one
That's good. That's good, that's good.
You know where we're going?
Hac.
Hac? That's good. Good.
Jesus Christ!
Tell him to go!
Hey, come on! Come on!
Hey. Bonjour.
Come on. Come on, let's go. Let's go, OK?
Whoa, whoa. Hold it. I'm an American soldier
that's been shot down.
Shut up.
(speaking Serbo-Croatian)
- What were you bombing?
- No bombing. We were taking photographs.
Photographs of what? Of what?!
Lokar's come back here again,
killing everyone.
It's true. Lokar killed everyone. Children,
women... Buried them up in the hills.
In the hills?
Yes, I saw them. I saw the graves.
Yes, I saw them. I saw the bodies in the hills.
Tell him. I am an American.
I am on your side.
- That's what I'm sayin'. We're on your...
- Then you go outside.
Tell them you are an American.
- They don't kill American.
- Ice Cube, tell them.
Tell this guy that we have
photographs that can help...
Bullshit!
America say they make them sign deal.
- I swear to God...
- But they already break it!
America government for shit! Now go!
(heavily distorted breathing)
(static)
(speaks Serbo-Croatian)
(gunfire continues)
Hey, hey, hey...
It's OK. It's me.
Come on.
Time?
Three minutes, sir.
Stop! Shh.
(distant helicopter)
Let's go.
(phone rings)
Reigart.
(Piquet) Leslie, I'm afraid there's bad news.
The Bosnian-Serb Fourth Army Patrol
found Lieutenant Burnett near Hac.
I regret to inform you
that Lieutenant Burnett is...
dead.
- I am sorry, Leslie.
- Thank you.
There's meant to be a peace deal.
Hac was meant to be a safe haven.
Yet once again in Bosnia,
that's proved an illusion.
And in the midst of fighting
around the southern enclave,
Bosnian Serb forces announced they'd found
the body of the American navigator,
Lieutenant Chris Burnett,
whose plane was shot down two days ago.
The Serb authorities are claiming
he was shot by Muslim guerrillas,
opposed to the recently signed
Cincinnati Peace Accord.
(CNN reporter) The Serbs say the body
was discovered by one of their teams
in a search-and-rescue attempt
since the F-18 was shot down two days ago.
This incident is bound to spoil NATO's hopes
for a clean exit from the Balkans,
and frustrates US military leaders, only days
away from a withdrawal from Bosnia.
(Sky reporter) For NATO's forces
on the eve of their departure,
the news ofLieutenant Burnett's death
comes as another dark blow
at the end ofa disturbing and ultimately
unsuccessful chapter in the alliance's history.
Savior Six, Savior Six
from Gold Eagle command.
Be advised the package is not in position.
Mission is scrubbed.
Return to base immediately.
Hey!
Hey! Wait!
We're here!
Come on! Fuck! Damn it!
We're right here!
You've gotta be shitting me!
Son of a bitch!
They killed him, and we did nothing!
- Captain...
- We did nothing!
We did nothing.
We were right here.
We were right... Fuck!
What's that?
It's not safe here. We'll keep going.
No. You go.
They killed my pilot
because we took pictures of the graves.
And I know where they are.
And I'm gonna get 'em,
so he didn't die for no reason.
Don't follow me.
It's safer here.
Shit.
Goddamn. Why is this off?
Why is this off? Why is this...?
(bird squawking)
Come on.
Come on! Goddammit!
All right. OK. OK, come on. Come on.
Yeah! Yeah. Yeah.
(PA) For the information of all hands,
this ship will be relieved on station.
It will set course for home base,
effective 2300 this evening.
- Sir? Your presence is requested in the SCIF.
- All right, thank you.
(beeping)
It's the homing beacon, sir.
On the second ejection seat.
The only way to reactivate it
is from the seat, manually.
- How long has that been on?
- Seven minutes.
Sir, you've gotta be very familiar
with our systems to reactivate that beacon.
- That's Burnett.
- Sir, it could be a setup.
It's a radio transmission.
They are hearing the same music.
Sir, I agree.
Sir, we really should notify NATO command,
or at least contact Donnelly for clearance.
- Of course, that will take a lot of time.
- Tom, I get it. We wait, Burnett dies.
Piquet was very clear with his objections, sir.
- You will lose your command for this.
- So be it.
I'm not gonna let that kid die out there
while we sit around on this ship!
OK. All right. OK.
OK, all right.
Goddamn!
(explosion in distance)
Gentlemen,
I wanna make one thing clear before we leave.
I intend to put you in harm's way.
Any man who doesn't wish to join
this mission, step away right now.
All right, then.
Let's go get our boy back.
About two clicks up this valley,
we're gonna make a hard right.
(helicopters approaching)
(beeping)
(yells)
Argh!
Argh...
(rumbling)
(shouting in Serbo-Croatian)
(Reigart) There he is. There he is!
Come on! Come on!
Damn it! What the hell is he waiting for?
Come on!
Come on! Come on, kid!
It's too hot to set down.
We'll have to cover him aloft.
Goddammit!
Come on!
OK.
Go!
Captain, fast rope. Go get him.
Sir, he's on the rope.
- Sniper in the open.
- We'll take him.
Come on, son. Come on!
Go!
They got him! Pull up! Pull up!
Hey, Chris.
Hey, Glen.
Admiral.
This is why they killed Stackhouse.
Admiral?
You were holding a letter for me.
I'd like to get it back.
I think I can find it.
("The Rescue Blues" by Ryan Adams)
And everybody wants to see you suffer
They know that you need the pain so much
They throw you up a rope
when you're too high to cruise, baby...
Lord, you lose, lady
Then they charge you with the rescue blues
The rescue blues
And everybody wants to see you fall
That's why they always love
to get you high, high
And everybody knows
you need the pain so much, lady
Keep in touch, baby
Just don't charge me
with your rescue blues
Oh, oh
Rescue blues