Rating: 
Summary: A Great Movie!
Review: This is in the top 10 best war movies of all time. It tells the story of modern war. One reason I like it is because there really isn' a movie on modern war. I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BETTER WAR MOVIES
Review: Black Hawk Down in my opinion is the greatest war movie ever made, with SAVING PRIVATE RYAN following close behind. The actual events that happened that day were portrayed greatly by director Ridley Scott with superb acting by Josh Hartnett, Tom Siezmore, and Eric Bana. This movie is very realisticly graphic with tons of violence. Black Hawk Down is a great movie about those heroic men who put their lives on the line for innocent somalians. DONT MISS IT!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Tough, realistic, gritty -- and true!
Review: "Blackhawk Down" is a hard-to-watch portrayal of recent real-life events during the U.S. humanitarian mission to Somalia in 1992. It's hard to watch because it provides such a realistic look into a very difficult episode in American military history. You may recall that this is the mission that opened with news teams meeting the Navy Seals with glaring camera lights as they swam in to the beach in the wee hours of the morning. It's also the mission that saw a ragtag force of ill-trained but heavily armed thugs under the command of Mohammad Farah Aidid ambush American troops whose job it was to bring desperately needed humanitarian aid to the starving people of Mogadishu. Aidid had a vested interest in making sure that the American mission failed and the country remained unstable -- he controlled the meager food supplies in the area, and so wielded immense political influence which he was not about to relinquish without a fight.So it was that one day an American ground convoy under surveillance of several UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters wound its way into the heart of the sprawling slums of Mogadishu. Its mission was to seize two prominent leaders in Aidid's faction. The mission began well enough, with the "targets" being captured as planned. However, Aidid's forces had been alerted to the American mission, and laid ambush positions throughout the city. The escaping American convoy as well as their Blackhawk escorts quickly came under heavy small arms and RPG fire. Soon two helicopters were crashed in the streets, with their surviving crew members fighting for survival against hopeless odds. Troops were rushed to the crash sites to try to effect a rescue, but both the Rangers and special ops troopers, as well as some members of the 10th Mountain Division, found themselves battling for their lives against a seemingly limitless enemy force with vast local numerical superiority. The results of the encounter were devastating. None of us will ever forget the news images of dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets. The news of heavy casualties took complacent, overconfident Americans by surprise. I was serving in the 10th Mountain Division at the time, although not personally deployed to Somalia, and I remember my own shock and horror at the images of what had befallen my fellow soldiers. "Blackhawk Down" captures this entire tale in a gritty, action-packed, suspenseful way, from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. It highlights the ugly side of human nature, along with ample depictions of courage and sacrifice. Admittedly it is very sympathetic in its portrayal of the Americans, but I don't see this as detracting from the film at all given the historical realities of the situation. Aidid and his followers were decidedly unworthy of sympathy, and are portrayed accordingly. Watch it and decide for yourself. I, for one, look forward to seeing this movie again.
Rating: 
Summary: superficial violence & flat patriotism
Review: While accurately recreating the events of this tragic day, this film does little other than glorify war and America. In Black Hawk Down, American soldiers are gallant heroes, while the Somali people are violent, faceless herds. We are given little background to the long history and culture of these people and it is unlikely that the typical American viewer knows the constant battle they have had with outside forces meddling in their business, corrupt rulers toying with their loyalties, and violence plaguing their daily lives. What is the point of a film like this if it serves no other purpose than displaying the director's skill at filming violent scenes? What is the point, if we learn nothing about what led to this awful day in Somalia? If we learn nothing about the hundreds of Somali people who died that day? and only about the few US soldiers who did? Can one life worth more than another? Certainly not. But Ridley Scott seems to think so. What about one story being more interesting than another? Certainly. And if that's the case, this story isnt the more interesting one. The interesting story is the one that wasn't told-- the story of the Somali people. If only we could learn from horrible days like that one, rather than continuing to glorify them through shallow films like this.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent retelling of a difficult story
Review: As much as I liked this movie you just have to get the book and read the real story. While the movie was relatively faithful to the story I wish they could have been a little more factual. But never the less an excellent story that should be viewed by all Americans.
Rating:
Summary: Violent War Movie About a True Battle in Mogadishu, Somalia
Review: My husband brought home this movie, and I watched it with him. It is an EXTREMELY violent war movie, but is the story of a true battle fought by American soldiers in Mogadishu, Somalia. Be sure you enjoy violent movies before getting this film, as there is almost two hours of straight violence. The battle starts with one soldier actually falling accidentally out of the helicopter, to the ground, instead of his shinnying down the helicopter rope to the ground, as the other soldiers do. As his comrades try to help get him evacuated, more soldiers get hurt. As others come to help them, even more get hurt. This was supposed to be a 45-minute operation, but turned into a 16-hour quagmire, and that is just what the movie feels like as you watch it. You cannot help but be impressed by the heroism of the soldiers, and of the general, who keeps insisting on "getting every last man out."
Rating:
Summary: Buy it, Watch it, Watch it again..
Review: I missed Black Hawk Down film when it was out at cinemas, and even when the DVD release came. From what I remember, I seem to have been under the impression with the combined factors of a bad advertising pitch, and my lack of knowledge about the incident on which it is based, that it was some kind of prisoner of war movie. Well, as I discovered last night when I watched it for the first time, it's not. It is instead, one of the greatest films of the past 10 years. Saw it last night on t.v, bought it this morning on DVD. That's how good it is. Everyone I'm sure knows the story - the United States' disasterous mission to capture key lieutenants of Aidid in Mogadishu which leaves units of troops fighting for their lives in terrifying urban conflict with the presidents supporters. But what makes this film for me, is that it was one of those rare movies that has the lot, and executes it all with seemless expertise. The pace is tremendous, yet without detracting from the core values and themes developed by the script. Ridley's dynamic direction combined with some superb editing helps establish and enhance the sense of chaos and urgency. And it's rounded off with some superb performances from the likes of Josh Harnett & Tom Sizemore and an excellent 5.1 dolby track that sticks you right in the heart of the action. It seems to be slotted in under the 'war film' category, which I guess it kind of is, but Black Hawk Down is not a war film in the conventional sense. The units sent in to Mogadishu weren't going to fight a war, but they ended up having to, and not for politcal reasons - for their own survival. That's what will hook you and tie you to this film for 2 hours. This is simply a must own film!!
Rating:
Summary: real face of today light war
Review: The battle this film presents technically superbly, confronts two worlds, two very different ways to see life and two different motivations to fight. We see: USA soldiers are well trained and armed professionals.
But the Somali chief, in smoking his Havana cigar, predicts that was to follow: he smokes with delectation as those who know they don't attain to live largely and he speaks right: in Somalia they have yet killed about 300000 of his own people, and health or life have almost any worth in Mogadiscio. Killing and terror is simply his consuetudinary way of living his short life, and being light weapons cheaper in international black markets than food or medicines, the Delta Force and Rangers have to confront with an enemy formed by a chaotic crowd poor or nothing trained but which knows well the ground, fully armed, and over all, desperate and possessed by a dement aggressiveness. Sure there are the helicopters Blackhawks and the Hummers, but after all these are only a few light American vehicles and a few American men. The battle begins and a patrolling action theoretically of only some minutes of duration ends into a furious battle of many hours with several hundred Somalis and nineteen Americans killed. This movie aims almost exclusively in the objective action and owing to the realism in showing the efficacy of weapons of today, even the lighter, the film I think acquires a quality of coldness and despersonalization that can or cannot taste to each viewer, but I think that is something deliberately chosen, and surely more near to the feelings of the real fighters than seen in older war films as war isn't a garden party. You must decide if you like films as this, but for me it's very good.
Rating:
Summary: Astonishing
Review: Now I haven't seen Mel's Passion yet but as far as i see this is the best movie yet. I read the book and watched the movie and this movie was icredibly accurate. It shows how hard it was for the U.S. soliders in Somalia how violent this war really was. And if you haven't seen the movie yet you better go see it, it will astound you from start to finish with its captivating story.
Rating: 
Summary: Realistic
Review: From a technical and realistic point of view this movie is certainly very well done. The movie largely focuses on the realism of shootouts. Unfortunately the enemy is depicted as -- as a previous reviewer had pointed out -- cardboard cut outs. In an almost documentary style... the movie recalls the 24 hour period in which the US military tries to capture the Somali warlord Aidoo. Naturally, there will be comparisons to previous war movies. This movie stays clear of the politics and the mythos behind war. There appears to be 2 main purpose of this movie: that 1. War is hell and 2. soldiers fight first primarily to protect and save eachother. In my opinion it is NOT enough for a movie to be simply 'realistic' to illustrate point 1. (War is Hell). Many movies made today can achieve this (Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Thin Red Line) through on screen gore. Which brings us to point 2. --- this point is explicitly made by a 15 second conversation between two soliders. I suppose Ridley Scott felt that the average viewer needed to be hit over the head with this message through this dialogue in case the 2 hours of depiction of soliders helping eachother didnt get the message through. The trailers which preceeded this movie shows a scene involving a warlord (an Aidoo confidant) -- in a style reminicent of Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (played by Marlon Brando) -- suggesting a larger role and involvement of this character. The reality is that this character very is 2 dimentional and is on screen very briefly and is infact a very VERY minor role...unlike the signifcance of the Brando Character.
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