Rating: 
Summary: I Almost Reenlisted
Review: I awaited the theatrical release of this film with great anxiety. Mark Bowden's book was a carefully composed and scrupulously researched account of a battle that few others had bothered to think so carefully about. A few months out from my own long-awaited discharge from the Army into a world that was suddenly, obscenely blooming flags-flags pinned to pastel blazer lapel pins; flags flying from the antennae of SUVS shuttling the idle middle class to and from driving ranges and hair appointments; flags rudely painted above promises to "kick Osama's... across the tailgates of dented trucks driven by able-bodied young men-I was disoriented and bitter and terrified for the treatment Hollywood had waiting for the men involved in that battle, but I couldn't bring myself to look away. I went and saw the film.
In some ways, I wasn't disappointed. The audience snickered through almost the entire film. They snickered at what they took to be the slapstick of going deaf in a firefight; of not being able to recall what you were waiting for, where you were supposed to be. People whispered to each other that they never would have made this or that or the other mistake. It was all I could do to avoid turning on the whole theatre.
The performances are solid; there are only a few odd notes that only a veteran would pick out, and even those may have their narrative justifications.(But why is General Garrison wearing aviator sunglasses INSIDE the JOC? Does he wear them just so he can remove them for emphasis?)
There are other more awkward moments when there are attempts to illustrate with very broad strokes the tension between the Delta operators and the Ranger captain; but this is the only film I've ever seen in which I have recognized my Army.
Ridley Scott takes only a little over two hours to tell us not only about the battle, but also about the composition of the modern Army, the nature of soldiering and of the will to fight. The only cliches in this film are the ones that are, in the end, true. When the first round is fired politics "goes right out the window". The only reason to fight is "the other guys right there next to you". The mouthpiece for these truisms is the character Norm Hooten, played very well by Eric Bana. Bana's performance is so good that at times he seems more like a soldier awkwardly cast in a film than an actor struggling to appear a soldier.
There are some inaccuracies and omissions and downright fictions in the film, but none of that detracts from its value as a rendering of war. The firefight is so well-executed I almost couldn't sit through it even the second time around without ducking for cover. This is the most accurate portrayal of combat in film yet. Bullets riddle the air, and still you climb up onto the .50 cal. Walls become your enemy, sturdy rock cover shatters in your face, people don't drop after one two or even three shots, and you can only see in one direction. Simple stuff, but rarely understood by filmmakers.
The DVD is of very good quality and includes a behind the scenes feature. It's a little shocking to find so many of the soldiers were played by British and Oceanic actors, but they did fine jobs. It was a little irritating to listen to Jerry Bruckheimer riff on soldiering, or to Josh Hartnett explaining that his character is better educated than a typical Ranger, but the rest of the interviews justify themselves.
There's no reason not to see this film, and if you buy films, add this one to your collection. It is one of a kind, and at the very least maybe you'll never pay to see Mel Gibson play an American soldier again.
Rating:
Summary: huskerfreak@theforce.net
Review: First off this is a true story that actually occured, was researched intensively be the producers, and the director. Not to mention they had people on set that were actually there,... Lastly I like to say that ColumbiaTristar did a fine job in making this film. The cinematography was superb, the sound was like being there, excellent casting, as well as great acting, The CG was added nicely, and it all looked so real. Not to mention the fact that is was a great story.
Rating: 
Summary: What?
Review: What, those soldiers killed over five hundred villagers, including women and children, in a FOREIGN, INDEPENDENT country, and now they are heros in a movie?
Rating: 
Summary: Battle
Review: ... Black Hawk Down contains some of the most intense combat ever captured on film. Imagine the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, where they land on Omaha Beach, now imagine it lasting for two hours. This is the best way to describe Black Hawk Down.The events of the story, which are sketchy in the film, are based on actual events that occured in Somalia when a sting opperation by U.S. Rangers went extremely wrong. To be honest, the events are not important. Apparently the filmmakers agreed, there is very little development of the sory or the characters leading up to the action. This can be confusing at times, but I think it also serves the film. The question could be raised in general, what were we doing there? The film opens with some shocking images of the face of war, innocent victims, but this gets sort of lost. Despite it's weaknesses Black Hawk Down is a powerful film. It is a film about battle. And man is it amazing. I could try to describe it, but no words can do Ridley Scott's team justice. It must be seen. ... There are a lot of characters in this film and often it is difficult to tell who's who, but that is the point. There is another scene in the film in which Tom Sizemore's character radios in a message to Sam Shepard, the general, that a dead pilot is wedged in the wreckage of his chopper. "No one gets left behind," says Shepard despite the fact the men are still taking fire from gorilla gunmen. In war it doesn't matter which guy is which, they are all the same guy. They are brothers in arms. Each death is equally traggic, even if an audience can't decipher who it was.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the real world
Review: Beside the fact that I'm a huge admirer of the Scott/Scalia/Zimmer-team there is something else about this movie that just stroke a chord in me while watching it. Sure, you may see this as an action flick, after all there's two hours of constant gunfire in it - but there is more to it. This is why: Imagine a movie about war in which soldiers are not merely heroes because they have the American flag waving in the background, or are fighting for a greater good, but just because they are a bunch of boys thrown into a situation and environment they can not even begin to comprehend. Imagine a movie where eighteen year olds go into battle wanting to "kick some ..." and are faced with the horrific difference between training and real life, between "Quake" and Mogadishu if you will - for this is were real heroism is bred. Imagine a movie that doesn't promote the bombs'elegant target approach but discloses the atrocity and insanity of armed conflicts. If you loved "Pearl Harbor" you should not ruin your tight sleep with this movie. For all the others: This movie you will remember! Promise!
Rating:
Summary: True to life great movie
Review: A real look into what it was to serve your country and protect the man beside you when the stuff hits the fan. GREAT MOVIE!!!
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps my fav. war flick
Review: Yeah, it's a bold statement, but Black Hawk Down gave me everything I really wanted out of a war movie. Despite your average movie-goers preference, real-life war doesn't give you the privilege of character development as well as conventional solutions to real-life problems. What Black Hawk Down did as a movie was the same thing as Black Hawk Down did as a book: give an account of a particular day in America's involvement in Somalia where a simple mission goes, shall I say it, terribly wrong. Here's where the flick rocks: there's a brief intro to the characters and mission before they head on out to Mogadishu. Once the action starts, it pretty much goes as it did years ago. When you realize how much funk the troops went through in such a short amount of time, you start to feel the same "Ohhhhh crap" feeling that they must have felt then. A bond is formed with the characters and THAT'S where it counts. You may not know all too much about them nor their mission, but in their situation, they probably weren't that much keener than you. They just wanna make it out alive, and so do you. Not a lot of war flicks do that bonding enough, and if they do, some odd miracle pops up that makes you go "wait, how did that happen?" As you might have gotten from the negative reviews, this isn't a story-driven movie. It's an account of real war that happens in the real world. It's your choice from there to decide if you want that, but I'll assure you that if you dig the latter, you'll definitely dig the flick.
Rating:
Summary: Just Great
Review: This film is just great, it deals with a special mission that goes sour. This film kept me on my toes from beginning to end. I usually like this type of films and this was not an exception, great direction on the film and a great eye opener for people who do not know what the heck is the military all about.
Rating:
Summary: This might be the worst movie I've ever seen
Review: If you like explosions and gunfire, you just might find this movie tolerable. If you like movies that don't expect you to suspend all belief or second-guess every single ridiculous action in the plot, stay away from this one. I can't count how many times we found ourselves saying "Why didn't they just..." or "Why did they...". A very stupid movie. Period.
Rating: 
Summary: Technical achievement but lots of gore
Review: I've appreciated most of Ridley Scott's films, but this isn't one of them. To be quite honest, I didn't like this film one bit. Similar to Gladiator, but with more senseless gore and appetite-deducing imagery, I'd have to say Scott's penchant for excessive violence has finally crossed the line of decency and style. The film starts off extremely sluggish with very little character development or exposition. There are a slew of noteworthy actors here (Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Josh Hartnett to name a few), but there's little room for them to be enlightening and only superficial insight into their personas is given. (SPOILER ALERT:) The main premise of the film is basically about two chopters that go down in the middle of Mogadishu's marketplace, home of about 10,000 Somalia militias who are evidently very trigger-happy. A team of U.S. Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are stranded and wander the streets just to stay alive, waiting for their rescue team. A lot of U.S. troops get killed, but in the end, the "Never Leave a Man Behind" adage stays true to life. Yep, that's about the whole plot. If you enjoy watching hundreds of third world militias getting gunned down in senseless gunplay, then give this a rental. Otherwise, there's a lot of flying shrapnel but little evidence of a coherent story. Unlike the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan (one of the best battle moments in cinematic history), Black Hawk Down dragged on and on, and I couldn't wait to get it over with. There are some tragic moments in this film (like when the militia boy shoots his own father by accident) that try to enlighten us to a greater theme, but most of the time I just felt the film tried too hard to make any sense of the violence. One might argue that was the whole lesson behind our involvement in Somalia, but I don't think that's the intention we see here (not to mention all the inappropriate imagery that was shoved in my face). Viewers who didn't appreciate the gore in Gladiator should definitely stay away from this one. I'll have to admit this film did have amazing sound effects editing, hence the Oscar award. The montage of explosions, heartbeats, and empty shells really compounded the feeling of the sheer intensity of being in the middle of a warzone. I appreciated the effects for contributing to the overall mood, but even the best bells and whistles can't make up for a mindless storyline. Even Ridley Scott is not that gifted.
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