Rating: 
Summary: my god
Review: never before have i been interested in war movies, quite frankly they bored me sensless. when my friends pressured me into seeing the film at the movies i didnt know what to expect. by the end of the movie i was in tears, i never cry at movies, especially infront of my boyfriend. i was so touched and so overwhelmed by this movie, that i had to buy and see everything about the event that had happened. i read the book ten time and watched the normal one fifty times. when this deluxe edition came out i knew i had to get it. the special features took my breath away and i watch it at least twice or more a month. this is a must get if you loved the film as much as i did.
Rating:
Summary: See it now
Review: Outstanding movie: First-rate cinematography, excellent acting, exceptional directing & editing, extraordinary sound quality, ... BLACK HAWK DOWN is about the 1993 battle in which two U.S. Army helicopters were downed and nearly 100 U.S. Special Forces troops were trapped overnight in a hostile section of Mogadishu, Somalia. These Special Forces were awarded with two Congressional Medals of Honor for conspicuous heroism. Tragically, 18 Americans were killed in this battle.Very few movies portray combat realistically. The vast majority of war movies show us a phony heroism in a fabricated combat. This movie realistically depicts what actually happened in that unfortunate battle. It very definitely is not for the squeamish. It tells us about the true heroism, patriotism, dedication, skill, and sacrifice that the Special Forces made in this conflict. Their devotion is well expressed in the closing verse of the anonymously written, memorial poem Black Hawk Down:
They gave without asking
A reward never known
They sacrificed freely
And our brother came home.
After seeing this movie, you will better understand why the U.S. Special Forces troops were so brilliantly successful in Afghanistan.
Why did the Mogadishu mission fail? BLACK HAWK DOWN provides us with the answer. The Mogadishu mission did not fail because of any Special Forces inadequacies. This mission failed, because Washington D.C. failed to provide the Special Forces with the proper tactical air and ground support that they so desperately needed. If the Special Forces had the AC-130 gunship and tank support that they had requested, the Mogadishu battle would have been transformed from defeat in victory.
Rating:
Summary: Brutally Real
Review: Ridley Scott did a magnificent job of conveying the horror and urgency of the disastrous U.S. military mission in Somalia in 1993 in which 18 Americans were killed and 70 wounded during 16 hours of street fighting. What was supposed to be a 45-minute mission went horribly wrong when two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down by Somali rockets and American ground troops were left to fend for themselves in the streets of Mogadishu. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong: poor communications; unexpected numbers of the enemy; roadblocks; lack of food, water, and medical supplies. The scope of this movie was huge and it was more a gritty and brutal documentary than a war movie. Scene by scene, hour by hour, the catastrophe was revealed to viewers. I was so glad I was watching it on DVD where I could take an occasional break from the intensity of this film. It did not glorify and romanticize war but rather gave us a view that is rarely seen and that brought the audience right into the heart of battle. "Black Hawk Down" is a story of incredible courage in the face of overwhelming odds. These comparatively few heroic American troops fought so mightily and so bravely---what they overcame and endured is suitably memorialized by this film. ...
Rating: 
Summary: An engrossing war movie...
Review: Ridley Scott followed his great success in "Gladiator" with this gripping war film about a "small-scale" US military and humanitarian mission which went horribly wrong. In 1993 the East African nation of Somalia was falling apart - a drought had caused a massive famine, and the situation was made worse by the fact that there was no "national", or central government in Somalia. Instead, the nation was divided up among various warlords, most of whom were little more than bloodthirsty thugs who employed "militias" (little more than heavily-armed street gangs) to terrorize the population. The Red Cross tried to send food to the starving populace, but it was intercepted by the warlords, who doled out the food to increase their power. A force of US Army Rangers and Delta Force was sent to Somalia to "keep the peace" and ensure that the food reached the Somalian people. In a raid to seize the most powerful warlord - a raid which wasn't supposed to take over an hour - the US troops were pinned down by thousands of "militia" in a brutal street fight which went on for hours. As in "Gladiator", Ridley Scott gives a realistic view of battle - and as a result it's sometimes difficult to tell what is going on, as the battle scenes are often confused, with lots of screaming and running and the camera jerking awkwardly as you follow the soldiers. But that only adds to the realism, as (like the American soldiers), you never know who or what might be around the next street corner. ... I thought that "Black Hawk Down" simply showed America's soldiers in a VERY realistic light - they were simply trying to rescue their wounded, save themselves and their fellow soldiers, and get out of a nasty situation. I never saw a soldier "wave the flag", and given the way the warlords were treating their own people, they were hardly "victims" of American aggression in any sense of the word! ... Again, I thought Ridley Scott was simply trying to give moviegoers the "feel" of what it was like to be in the streets of Somalia's capital city during the fight. If you've got a strong stomach and wish to see a realistic film that will give you a much greater appreciation of America's "fighting men", then "Black Hawk Down" will not be a disappointment!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down is an event of a film. True, there are far too many characters to keep track of in the first viewing of the film. True, none of them are "fleshed out" in a traditional fashion (Then again, did you really want a series of cliche backstories for all the soldiers?). But Black Hawk Down is a superbly crafted war film.
The film's massive budget is put to outstanding use. Morocco, between set construction, real locations, and seamless computer generated imagery truly BECOMES Mogadishu. There is absolutely no denying the jaw-dropping authenticity of the film, nor its intensity. From the moment the combat truly begins (roughly forty-five minutes into the picture) to its finale, BHD takes no prisoners in its portrayal of a special operations mission gone horribly wrong. Scott directs the film masterfully, juggling all of elements at once like a the professional that he is. Gritty and spectacular, BHD is flawless in its presentation.
Ken Nolan's screenplay, adapted from the acclaimed book by journalist Mark Bowden, is also top-notch. Nolan wastes no time with subjective issues such as politics or ethics; BHD is about the soldiers, and it never strays from that focus. Not to say that BHD doesn't pack a serious emotional punch, as in the brief moments between gunfire it does.
The ensemble cast is superb, composed of a range of stellar American, Australian, and British actors. While some of the true accents occassionally come through in dialogue, by and large the acting is never questioned; these guys ARE at war.
While Black Hawk Down's music won't be remembered for its themes and and motifs, Hans Zimmer's score is much like the film: gritty, appropriate, and in your face. Zimmer adds yet another layer of tension to an already nerve-wracking film.
Seamless special effects, acting, and direction make Black Hawk Down the powerhouse that it is. The film's portrayal of war is uncompromising, with explicit violence and gore. The film never glorifies any of the death, any of the "action," but instead plays it straight, as it should. It never glorifies the men, but tells their stories straight, as it should. Whether or not you believe in their heroism is left up for you to decide.
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: 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."
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