Black Hawk Down

Rating:
Summary: Terrific battle scenes!!
Review: Ridley Scott, the creator of "The Duellists", the "Gladiator" and other masterpieces of cinematographic violence, really made a fantastic job with the unlucky US raid in Moghadishu on October 3, 1993. The film follows the real action with much clarity and presents the real protagonists in an unforgettable way. The accidents, the shootdown of the two helicopters, the anxiety of finding oneshelf fighting surrounded among throngs of frenzied Somali warriors and the terrific, deadly and mutilating effect of the various modern infantry weapons are presented with such realism that the viewer holds his/her breadth. Highly recommended for all those interested in modern combat and the many unpredicted twists that fate can take during a battle.

Rating:
Summary: A Ugly Little War In An Ugly Little Place Brought Home
Review: BLACK HAWK DOWN is Ridley Scott's and Jerry Bruckheimer's cinematization of author Mark Bowden's phenomenally dynamic retelling of the Battle of Mogadishu (October 1993) in which 100 U.S. peacekeeping troops tasked to neutralize Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid were attacked by thousands of armed Somalis. I have never seen a book translated to film so faithfully.

The film, like the book, is riveting and disturbing. From its opening scenes of malnourished Somali corpses to its closing moments as we discover the fate of the soldiers involved in the operation, BLACK HAWK DOWN never falters in its depiction of warfare as the collective fate of individuals: "You fight for the guy beside you."

What the Somalis fought for is less clear, and why they fought the Americans at all seems at first glance to be a puzzle; that is, until the American incursion is seen through Somali eyes, not as a peacekeeping mission but as an incursion against the Somali social bulwarks of clan and faith. Their rage is palpable, and if only a very few Somali voices are heard castigating the U.S. for its role in BLACK HAWK DOWN, the scenes of mob violence speak their own language. The ongoing battle scene that makes up most of this film is so relentless that it is disorienting, but such is the true nature of war.

Aidid and his minions were able to inflame such a vast proportion of the population that it appears that the entire city of one million is gunning for the pinned down Rangers. And as with any mob, mindlessness is the rule. As the Americans battle their way out of Mogadishu none of the Somalis decides to engage them in an intellectual discussion.

But in showing us the battle BLACK HAWK DOWN asks why, and the answers are not comforting for Americans, used, as we are to a global perspective. The lessons of Somalia seem self-defeating. Better a bloody violence than a peace with one's enemies. Better a tinhorn tribal warlord than a paternalistic U.N. delivering food and medicine. Better the clan and tribe than the nation and the world. Better to die than to tolerate one's enemies.

Somalia today is a failed state, broken into innumerable tribal territories. It is a fate which even the best-intentioned action could not have avoided. That is the lesson of BLACK HAWK DOWN.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a little confused (and a lot T'd off)
Review: Long ago I rated this as the best war movie ever, in my list "War Is Hell": opinions based on my experiences with the US military, including time I spent as an Army Ranger.

Certainly, that is just my opinion, although I see, as I read these other reviews today, that is the opinion of many others who have written reviews (so MANY reviews for one film!)

What I do not fully understand is how reviews that are ostensibly about a film that recreated quite faithfully a well-researched book on one particular battle, are mostly about the politics of each individual reviewer (with some notable, and admirable, exceptions.)

Most of the US combatants in this film are portraying Rangers, a group with whom I briefly served. When I think back on the Rangers I knew, I sometimes have difficulty separating the real ones I knew from some of the portrayals in this film: that, I think, is a testament to the believabilty of the acting and directing (as well as my bad memory.)

The combat sequences in "Blackhawk Down" convey the horrors and chaos of war better than any film of which I know.

And it is nice, I think, to have "good guys" in a film that are worth rooting for. This is true regardless of one's personal politics. These soldiers followed orders in the face of almost certain death, and took care of each other even though it meant they would certainly suffer, and probably die. Those who have a hard time seeing the individual heroism and tragedy in this film, should, I think, ask themselves if they aren't guilty of the same idealogical air-headedness that has gotten both soldiers and civilians killed in every recorded war.

Rating:
Summary: War divorced from morality
Review: First I must state that I'm somewhat confused by many of the negative reviews here. One recurring complaint is that in this movie, Somalis are depicted as a faceless swarm, which is dehumanizing, racist et cetera. I cannot but think that they aren't very familiar with war movies as a genre. As a rule such movies focus on one side, which has the effect of dehumanizing the other side. There are limited opportunities for showing the humanity of others, since the characters tend to look at them down the barrel and shoot on sight. Not zero, though.

Of this, ironically enough, Black Hawk Down is a prime example. The humanity of Somalis is shown many times and in many ways, though to notice this tends to require some attention to detail. They even get a chance to explain some of their point of view in two dialogues, which is two more than average war movie gives to enemy. But I suppose that a determined ideologue could see them as Western Patriarchy's racist-imperialist mythmaking or some such thing, aiming to portray Somali civil war as born from their ancient cultural heritage and by blaming the victims of West, justify the postcolonial hegemony of privilege. Incidentally I found those parts rather scornful of US for its occasional naivete, but then again I hadn't decided in advance that this film is 100% pro-America.

As a movie, this was a rare bird. Generally, war movies either glamorize war or are anti-war. BHD was neither. It didn't pull any punches in showing the nauseating brutality of modern warfare, it lacked the flag fetishism of most Hollywood war movies and its atmosphere is best captured by the quote from Plato in the beginning: "Only the dead have seen the end of war." Then again, the professionalism, discipline and bravery of US elite troops, and their spirit of brotherhood, are shown as well. This movie isn't built around some particular opinion of war's moralities, rather it is built around the experience of war itself and leaves the interpretations to viewer. Some may be disturbed by this lack of clear moral lessons, but for me, Black Hawk Down was all the more moving and thought-provoking for it.

Rating:
Summary: Read the book too!
Review: Watching "Black Hawk Down" is a harrowing and at times very over-whelming experience. This film's greatness is making the viewer understand the hell our soldiers experienced(and still go through). The film is unrelenting reality. Combat enters your living room, and your house is a war zone. Few movies have actually caused me the feeling of real terror; this one did. "Black Hawk Down" de-glamorizes war and hopes you understand the bravery and sacrifice of our fighting men. The story is a true one and, it is powerfully told. It does justice to those who lived it. Ridley Scott has directed with his usual brilliance, and made a film that has a place at the top of it's genre. This is now an essential classic.(For those of you who really liked this one-I suggest buying the 3-disc "Special Edition, it is one of the best in my collection. It is loaded with hours of documentaries, deleted scenes, commantaries-you name it! It was well-worth the whole weekend it took getting through it!)


Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: Definitely a great movie, Black Hawk Down, brings to the screen a story that many followed at the time and thus are familiar with; the 1993 international (this one truly was...) intervention in Somalia, which ended abruptly and some might say in a fiasco.
The film combines drama, action and adventure making it one of the best of its kind.
Needless to say, Josh Hartnett, Jason Isaacs, Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)!
The setting, the special effects, the music and the costumes are all wonderful!
In short, it is a movie worth watching!


Rating:
Summary: Why are the facts criticized?
Review: Why are the facts of "Blackhawk Down" viewed as un-American or incorrect?

Here's what isn't shown in the movie: US forces, using incorrect intelligence, raided the UN Development Programme HQ, the Charity World Concern, and the offices of Medcins sans Frontieres (AKA Doctors Without Borders). They captured multiple _innocent_ civilians alongside the chief of the UN's police force! When members of the Aideed clan gathered in a building to talk about a peace agreement with the UN the US forces blew them up killing 54 people. In response the Somalis went nuts with rage and attacked US forces as our troops began firing missiles into residential areas.

The events that occurred are clear. It perhaps be argued that US intentions were good. But the fact remains that the result was bad - for all sides.

The soldiers walked into this hellfire of chaos with competing warlords adding fuel to the fire on all sides. Yes, they were brave. They were doing the job they were ordered to do. And they were placed there by others (Clinton & the Pentagon) who were clueless. The Somalis reacted with (understandable) rage and contempt. US soldiers were caught in the middle.

Not only does "Blackhawk Down" ignore these facts, it also depicts the Somalis in a specific way. Is there one rioter who is depicted as having human qualities? Isn't it obvious that the movie makers were not interested in any other perspective other than the soldiers?

Many reviewers compared "Blackhawk" to the racism of the 1964 flick "Zulu" in which thousands of Africans, depicted as mere ants, advanced on a small (and humanized) out numbered British force.

None of this has anything to do with being anti-war, pacifism or being "anti-American." This is about propaganda being passed off as "truth."

Rating:
Summary: The best war film ever made...
Review: Well, maybe one would give Saving Private Ryan or Patton that nod, but for my money this film is *the* best war film ever made. Its astonishingly realistic and detailed, and chronicles the events and political context of our presence in Mogadishu in pristine fashion. If you have ever wanted to know what it might feel like to be an elite soldier trapped in a hostile situation with seemingly no way out, this is the film for you. The film highlights the bravery, valor, skill and outstanding training of the elite in our military... 18 of whom did not get to come home that day.

If one thinks this film is racist you are digging very, very, very deep and ending up with a skewed view of the film that could only be born from intense hatred of war, America and anybody who signs up for the Armed Forces (which in total is far more diverse racially than New Hampshire). The context is 100% correct, bottom line, end of sentence. Somalia was a nation full of oppressed people, we went there to try to fix the problem and the color of the indigenous people was IRRELEVANT. Interestingly enough, those same people that try to make that vapid and wholly ignorant case about this movie are the same people that didn't criticize President Clinton when we went to Kosovo - apparently its okay to kill people as long as they are white, eh hypocrites? Those are the facts, neg away if you like. Deal with it.

Rating:
Summary: A Gripping and True War Story
Review: Josh Hartnett (SSgt. Matt Eversmann), Ewan McGregor (Spec. John Grimes), Tom Sizemore (Lt. Col. Danny McKnight), William Fichtner (Sfc. Jeff Sanderson), Sam Shepard (Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison), and Eric Bana (Sfc. Norm Gibson) star in this amazing movie about an actual event that occured in Somalia in the fall of 1993.

This film re-creates the siege of Mogadishu in October, 1993. An elite force of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to capture the associates of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, whose regieme has lead to the starvation of countless numbers of Somalis. The mission is only suppoed to take forty five minutes, but it soon turns into a sixteen hour nightmare battle for survival. Two Blackhawk helicopters are shot down by rebel RPGs and the American ground forces are forced to fight their way to both crash sites to rescue the helicopter crewmembers. Nineteen Americans would ultimately lose their lives, while over a thousand Somalis would perish in the fighting.

This is one of the best war films I've seen. The acting is top notch, and the battle scenes are extremely realistic. The harsh realities of warfare and fighting are also reproduced with some very graphic and telling battle scenes.

I give this fine film my highest recommendation. Watch and see how the true fighting spirit, bravery, and camradarie of the American service personnel overcomes a situation that had went terribly wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Leave No Man Behind
Review: Black Hawk Down ranks as one of my top ten favorite films of all time for its intensely honest and compelling depiction of the complex reality of war. It is a stunning reminder that small conflicts are just as tragic and devastating as large-scale conflicts. It is unrelenting and vehement in its portrayal of U.S. Ranger soldiers and Delta Force commandos striving to help each other live through the firefight while fighting for their own survival. It is a truly hard-hitting and extremely effective insight into what it means to struggle for survival.
On October 3, 1993, a force of U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force commandos were sent into war-torn, famine-plagued Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The UN had been providing humanitarian aid for the poor, ravaged country. But their humanitarian projects failed due to the actions of the country's corrupt warlords who were taking the food supplies for themselves and slaughtering any rioters who opposed them. The soldiers' mission: capture the key lieutenants of the head Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and bring them to justice, thus providing much-needed relief for the populace of Somalia.

Their operation is met with opposition on the part of the Somali people, and they manage to shoot down two Black Hawk helicopters. What follows is a day-long firefight between the U.S. soldiers and the Somali militia. During the conflict, the soldiers learn firsthand the meaning of war, camaraderie, and courage as they struggle for survival and strive to live out their creed: Leave No Man Behind.

Every aspect of Black Hawk Down is superbly compelling, realistic, and profound. The actors are top notch in their portrayals of humans under fire. The point this movie wants to make hits hard and clear. Director Ridley Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have reconstructed that fateful, tragic day in a superbly honest and straightforward way. Also, one of my favorite aspects of the film is its choreography. The gritty, grainy, color-drained choreography emphasizes well the chaos and confusion of war. It gives viewers the feeling of actually being there. It grabs you and pulls you into the action and doesn't let go until after the end credits roll. The soundtrack to this film is also excellent; it is very unique in sound and style.
In conclusion, I highly recommend Black Hawk Down to anyone age 13 and up. It is a film you will never forget. 5 stars.