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Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down

List Price: $19.94
Your Price: $14.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome!!!
Review: I loved it!!! I am a 14 year old female and I thought it was great. It was dramatic, thought-provoking, and even funny at times. I loved Ewan McGregor. Peace!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I waited a month....
Review: after seeing "Black Hawk Down" to review it. The film is too different, too out of step with most feature films, to deal with it on a reactionary basis. You have to spend a lot of time thinking about what it was that made this movie stand out in your mind. And so, the review of BHD becomes the 100th review I've written for Amazon, and it is welcome for this honor because it is such a stand out in all the movies and DVD's I've seen and reviewed in past months.

Ridley Scott does something in this film that probably no other director has succeeded in (although "Schindler's List" came close). He has written a documentary about the horrors of war, in feature length, and succeeded in bringing it to the big screen as a "feature film". I guess this is because he cast some well known performers for some of the ensemble, although everyone is really a bit player in this movie, except the battle itself. If you accept author Mark Bowden's tale as a true to life account of what transpired, then Scott has taken very few liberties with his portrayal, preserving the documentary nature of Bowden's stirring yet horrifying work. Thus, Scott showcases his extraordinary talent in a way that is different from many of his past successes, and because he does not fall prey to the inclusion of the meaningless love story or the heart-rending tale of a central hero's perspective, he succeeds brilliantly.

Scott deserves the Academy Award for Best Director. None of the others even come close.

There are many reviewers that criticize the film for its lack of characterization, the violence, and the loss of the Somali perspective. The tale is told much as it was lived, and the disappearance of individual character as the comradeship and teamwork (and troubleshooting of mistakes) that occurs in such a dangerous situation is more important than the individual perspective. The violence is real - believe that war is hell, as much now as in the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, also criticized for its violence. You go to a real war movie not to inspire your patriotism, although that may be a byproduct, but to remember what our armed forces can face nearly everywhere in the world - senseless, brutal killing.

The Somali perspective was puzzling, and I believe it was more thoroughly explained in the book, but was a necessary give-up for Scott to tell his tale in a reasonable length of time. I read few books about war, because, never having been exposed to battle, and needing that visualization to understand the battle sequences, I often get bogged down in war tales. I made up my mind to read Bowden's book, now that the visuals are so real in my mind; Bowden wrote an extraordinary account. Scott's version still does not pale by comparison, one of the few times when a great work has been transferred to film in a non-judgmental, way, without the politics of advertising, spending and casting getting in the way.

I'm puzzled by the reaction to this movie; so many reviewers gave the film a low rating. For me, this was exactly what I expect from the theater - you pay your money to see a movie whose theme you know and are interested in before you go to the theater; you don't just see films because others say they are great. I think if you go into Black Hawk Down with the expectation that you will come away unsettled, shocked, saddened at the waste of human life brought on by world misunderstanding, that you will not be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: REALISTIC, UNRELENTING, UNFORGIVING WAR EPIC
Review: OK, so this is another war movie glorifying the exploits of the American military. Haven't we had enough of that? Well, quite frankly, no. Because if half of what you are about to see in BLACK HAWK DOWN even came close to the truth, then the whole world should be thankful for these young American boys who lay down their lives every day in service to their country. Ridley Scott's brilliant effort is gut-wrenchingly realistic and transports you beyond the shock of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. The fight sequences are brutal, brilliantly filmed and immaculately choreographed. Unlike PRIVATE RYAN, there were no extensive character developments to draw you into the movie. Instead, BLACK HAWK DOWN relied on the sheer terror of a desperate battle, and the unbelievable courage displayed in the name of comradeship, to keep your emotions fully engaged. Ridley Scott brilliantly captured the futility of war in almost every scene by contrasting the rich patchwork of the soldiers' courage against the barren landscape of the wasteland that they were fighting for. This will go down as one of the best war movies ever made because it's never meant to be a vehicle to rationalise, glorify or even chastise man's penchant for war. It's a celebration of the human spirit in a situation and place where no humanity could ever exist.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: amazing
Review: the movie, Black Hawk Down, gives an amazing view of military tactics and strategy. it proves to us that we should appreciate the men who fight for our lives and the lives of others. it is a great post 9/11 movie

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: What about French Legion ?
Review: What a realistic streets war movie ! But I would have mostly appreciated film Director Ridley Scott being more keen with real facts : surrounded US marines were exfiltered by French Legion Etrangere. ...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GROUND LEVEL EPITAPH
Review: This is a good film on what took place in this military action from the perspective of the soldier on the ground. The film's you-are-there point of view is its strength. To think that any Americans survived this action is mind bending. There are very good performances all around and excellent camera work that makes this a hard and gritty epitaph for those fallen.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: What's all this hooplah about?
Review: Personally, Black Hawk Down did nothing for me. I'm a fan of war movies, don't get me wrong. From a war film perspective, this movie is an accurate portrayal of combat in modern times. You can't deny that. From that standpoint, the movie is good. It's the other aspects of a good film that are missing. This movie is a 2 and a half hour gun fight. That's it. No character development, no real ending, it just kind of ended. Personally I think we're all so caught up in post-September 11 patriotism that we want to see a bunch of people we don't care about get the living crap shot out of them just so we can feel good about our American superiority. Gimme a break. You want to put out a war movie, at least give it more substance than two hours of Saving Private Ryan-ish combat. At least Private Ryan was good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Doesn't do justice to those involved
Review: I liked the film Black Hawk Down. It showed that no matter how out numbered the US soldiers were, we didn't give up. They fought like hell. Also, I think it showed how the world views American affection and aid with hostility. Hey we did't have to be there. Sometimes I feel that the USA should leave some of these countries alone to its own folly. Oh, and jason issacs could never be or resemble CPT Steele. Why? Because I know him. Out...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best movie of all time
Review: I can't begin to tell you how awesome this movie was. It really made me more thankful towards my freedom. I have seen the movie over 5 times now. I shouldn't have to say anymore than that...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You want to see what urban warfare is like? You've got it.
Review: ...I will, however, give you my impressions of the film from the perspective of a person in his mid-twenties:

* It reminded me of the futility and waste of war. To think that an operation gone wrong could end up costing so many lives and so much pain is unbelievable... Futile. Wasteful.

* It's a depressing yet uplifting film. It's depressing in the sense that we had to fight a battle that didn't concern us to begin with, and it cost us dearly. Yet it was uplifting to see the camaraderie our military has amongst themselves (regardless of their division, squad, rank, etc.). I sleep better at night knowing we have such selfless and dedicated people watching over us.

* Concerning the film, I think Ridley Scott did a superb job in making this film realistic and serious. It showed urban warfare in all its gory details. It depicted the characters well. The actors chosen fit the age profile and propensities of what a typical soldier would be like. (It's a very high budget film. Once the gunfire starts, it just kept going.)


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