Enemy Mine (1985)

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., Brion James

Synopsis:
A human pilot crash-lands on a deserted planet and must contend not only with the harsh environment but also an enemy pilot who also crash-landed on the surface.

Impressions:
I've seen parts of this movie at differing times over the years, but it hasn't been until recently that I finally got watch it all the way through from beginning to end. It turns out that I only ever saw parts from the second act in all this time. The entire third act was completely new to me. All this aside, let's talk about the movie itself. It's basically a scifi take on Hell in the Pacific and it's a good one. Louis Gossett Jr. delivers an amazing performance as the Drac pilot Jeriba with a lot of little details to his speech and behavior that makes him seem more genuinely alien than most humanoid extraterrestrials you see in movies. Add his performance to top-notch makeup work and it really sells it. The character dynamic between the two enemies is really interesting and you'll enjoy watching it play out. This is a good piece of scifi cinema. Give it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It