Enemy Mine (1985)

            This twenty-year-old film, based on a sci-fi story by Barry Longyear, loses credibility immediately when Willis, a space pilot, crash lands on a barren planet that magically has breathable air.  If you can swallow that (sorry about the pun), the rest of the story has some merit.  It's basically about race discrimination mixed with the demonizing of  "enemies," i.e. stereotyping them as evil, less than human and deserving elimination or slavery. 

            The bad aliens are Dracs and guess who Willis meets on the planet?  Yes, he meets Jeriba, a Drac, and they form an alliance to survive.  Their relationship and the problems they encounter comprise most of the screenplay.  However there is a climax and an anticlimax that's both unexpected and produces some action drama. 

            Dennis Quaid plays Willis, the earthling spaceman.  Quaid has played a variety of film roles over 30 years, with varied results.  His acting was quite good in Frequency (2000) and Far from Heaven (2002) and yet was only passable in Flight of the Phoenix (2004).  He performs with his own band and flies his personal twin-engine jet commuting to his property in Montana.  His next film is Yours, Mine and Ours, a remake of the Beardsley family story, scheduled for release this year.

            Louis Gossett Jr. plays Jeriba the Drac.  Gossett has been "around the block" in many films during his 40 years in the business.  He's one of those familiar faces you recognize, but don't remember why.  I thought his ability to communicate with facial expressions in his Drac makeup was outstanding.

            Reviewed August 22, 2005                            Copyright 2005 Charles T. Markee

            Not rated but probably PG-13 for some violent scenes.