Black Hawk Down

Rating:
Summary: I highly recommend you see this
Review: I read Mark Bowden's "Black Hawk Down" when it was first released several years ago. At the time it had a big impact on me. The book actually brought me to tears, with the recounting of the battle. It was a terrible tragedy.
I heard that a movie version was going into production, and I eagerly anticipated it, the trailers for the film sent tingles up my spine, if the film version could move me 1/4 as much as the book did, I would not be disappointed.
I saw it opening weekend, and believe me, I was not disappointed in the least bit. I almost cried in the theatre too, but that kind of stuff becomes more difficult for me in front of audiences. Go figure.
I'll admit, it started off sort of lame, with many shots of the Army Rangers camradrie. I feel that Scott could have done a better job of introducing the characters here, but to do so would have added about an hour to the movies length, as there is a huge, and superb, cast of characters in this movie. I feel that the term "characters" isnt really appropriate, as the actors in ths movie portray real people, unlike many "war" movies who typically portray the generic anonymous GI.
After the first portion of the movie, which basically informs the audience of the happenings in Somalia, the Army Rangers and the Delta Force (shh, they don't exist, remember?) go about completing their mission. All hell breaks loose. The action is frightingly realistic appearing. I'm sure film could never portray the true horror of a battle field, but Black Hawk Down is hands down the closest attempt at doing so yet.
Every man in this movie is a hero, as were the real soldiers. I highly suggest you go to see it, unless you have a weak stomach. If you didn't enjoy Normandy landing in "Saving Private Ryan", stay away. Unlike "Saving Private Ryan", where the violence slows down after the first 20 minutes, this movie does the opposite. Its a good hour and 45 minutes of gore. I didn't warn you.

Rating:
Summary: Task Force Ranger...
Review: Lots of blood and guts...and various body parts being blown off. I have to admit, the guys who were blown apart looked blown apart!

The movie wasn't bad, as military or action-adventure films go...I would have liked a better integration of the politcal aspect and the resolution of the Durrant situation incorporated into the film, not just scrawled across the screen in type.

I was pleased that the film, based on Mark Bowden's book, Black Hawk Down, kept the Hollywoodization to a minimum and pretty much stuck to the story, as presented in the book.

For my personal preference, there was a 2-hour special done by the History channel that I liked better than the movie. The author, Mark Bowden, and several of the soldiers who were actually involved in the incident talk about it between recreations of various action sequences.

Several audience members where I viewed the film had no idea what was going on, as they waited impatiently (and noisily) for the Mike Durrant portion of the conflict. There was so much more to this incident than one helicopter pilot being shot down and held captive...

I recommend, that if you are unfamiliar with the details of this incident, you read the book, or watch one or more of the various specials before seeing the movie. The action is fast and furious and if you don't know what you are watching, why bother?

There are important lessons to be learned from what happened in this incident. I just wonder if we've learned them?

Rating:
Summary: Excellent depiction of war
Review: Ridley Scott has directed an excellent depiction of war that should set the standard for future war films when it comes to depicting small arms firefights. There are very realistic, graphic and intense scenes of war in this movie that haven't been seen since the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan". The riveting intensity of those particular scenes are also in "Blackhawk Down", but the duration of the intensity is much, much longer; perhaps 70% of the entire length of "Blackhawk Down" is a firefight, so be prepared.

The book "Black Hawk Down" by Mark Bowden, is better than the film, however, in that the book addresses the Somali's side of the historic firefight and also the political decision making behind the United States' mission in Somalia in 1993. But that doesn't detract much from the movie. If you haven't read the book, the movie's realism will be enough to stand on its own.

Ridley Scott pulls no punches with "Blackhawk Down". Scott's triumph with this film becomes evident afterward when the viewer, while still trying to process and recover from what he saw, actually feels like he's just witnessed war, but then wants to witness it again.

Rating:
Summary: War is Hell: Shown from the eyes of the soldiers
Review: This movie begins with a bit of a history lesson. Somalia's warlords have been warring among each other and have torn the country apart. There is mass starvation but the powerless UN are losing all the food shipments to the warlords, effectively prolonging this conflict. Two lieutenants of warlord Aidid, who controls a large portion of Mogudishu (the capital of Somalia) had been spotted and the US, having been forced on the sidelines by the United Nations, decides to get into the game by nabbing them with the use of Army Rangers, Delta Force, Air Calvary and the Army Humvee convoy. Their goal was simple on paper. The Delta Force (an anti-terrorist squad) would sweep in and storm the hotel Aidid's men were in, The Army Rangers would secure the perimeter, the Air Calvary would provide air cover and the convoy would crash in, take the captured prisioners and haul butt back to the safe zone. The mission was kept hush-hush from the UN and the whole operation was destined to take 30 minutes from start to finish.

Of course it went horribly wrong. The US underestimated Aidid's intelligence web and within minutes of their landing, Aidid's militia force had amassed nearly 5,000 soldiers and they descended on the Americans, catching them off guard. A black hawk helicoptor goes down, then another. Following the army motto.."leave no man behind" the 100 or so ground troops struggled to keep the perimeter secure for the humvee convoy, while setting up another perimeter for the downed blackhawks, whose pilots may or may not be alive. This leads to street to street fighting that lasts over 15 hours as the US Army struggles to send in reinforcement as well as seeking the help of the UN, who are infuriated that they were not informed of the operation.

The main point of this movie is to show the plot as explained above to the tee. The director is not interested in most of the characters, which is reasonable since the movie is set in Macro terms. If Ridley Scott had to deal with every minute detail, we would of had a 10 hour movie. This movie does have a few characters that are memorable, including main character Master Sargent Eversmann (Josh Hartnett) who is more of an idealist than a blind soldier, John Grimes (Ewan McGregor) the Desk Clerks who makes good coffee, types fast and yearns to be on the battlefield. There is Specialist Shawn Nelson (Ewan Bremner), the Ranger who gets his hearing shot out and provides comic relief and pilot Mike Durant (Tom Eldard) who gropes for the picture of his daughter as hundreds of Somalis surround his blackhawk and begin beating him to death.

My two favorite characters were Colonal Danny McKnight (Tom Sizemore), playing a no-nonsense convoy commander, who pushes his men and has no time for things like bad directions or bullet wounds to the neck. He is the most "hollywood" of characters and if his toughness which is portrayed on screen has any truth to it, John Wayne would have been proud. The other is Master Sargent Paul Howe (William Fichter) who thinks his leader has poor judgement is willing to risk his life for the larger cause.

I do have to admit that there was a little confusion in all the uniforms, dirt and blood, but it was not that hard to follow. The main pluses of the story is way that nothing is hidden and nothing "Hollywood" added to make it more than what is was, which is bizarre coming from Ridley Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. It is a straightfoward story that takes the viewer into a hellish rollercoaster ride with a group of mostly 19~21 year old kids in a part of the world which we would not dare step foot in as tourists, let along risk our life for. With this movie, I do have much more respect for the men and women who serve in our armed forces, they have tasks that regular non-military folk like me could never comprehend. If that was one of the goals of the filmmaker, then this movie completed it's mission with full distinction and honor....Rating: A.

Rating:
Summary: Sorry, not just a war game!
Review: There are poignant shots of Black Hawk helicopters flying over beaches and over a war-ravaged city. We get our first glimpse of one of the helicopters going down, a series of quick cuts that ends with the desperate words of a soldier "we've got a Black Hawk down. Black Hawk down."

Rating:
Summary: Truly a patriotic movie
Review: This movie really shows the true events of what it was like in Somalia. The action is unmatched in every catagory. When you leave the theater, you will be in awe of what you just witnessed. It makes you want to go and sign up for the military because of the strong brotherhood. "Leave no man behind".

Rating:
Summary: The most powerful movie I have ever seen.
Review: Black Hawk Down is an amazing movie that everyone must see. It vividly portrays the events of October 3rd, 1993 as it provides the audience with a glimpse of what it was like to be a soldier in the battle of Mogadishu. This is one of the first times where I have found the film to be as great as the book. One of the most moving scenes was the when the names of the 19 KIA soldiers were listed as a "death letter" was read by one of the brave men who died for their country. The letter read:
"My love, you are strong and will do well in life. I love you and my children deeply. Today and tomorrow let each day grow and grow, keep smiling and never give up even when things get you down. So in closing my love, tonight tuck my children in bed warmly, tell them I love them, then hug them for me and give them both a kiss goodnight from daddy."- Sergeant Gary Gordon, KIA Mogadishu, Somalia October 3rd, 1993 -
A great film and probably the best movie I have ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: The movie of our time...
Review: The movie was supposed to have come out in March but after September 11th, they moved it up to January in order to capitilize on what our country is currently going through. You can tell it was a bit rushed towards the ending. I thought they should've showed the video of Night Stalker Mike Durant in captivity and the clips of American soldiers being dragged through the streets and maybe a clip of the World Trade Center collapsing and what Somalia looks like now to show that the mission was never fully accomplished. We won the battle but lost the war. Somalia has not changed. If the mission in Somalia was pushed on, September 11th would have never happened and Osama bin Laden would have been caught years ago. But at the time, we had very week-kneed politicians in Washington (Clinton).
Anyways, the soundtrack is excellent and is the best music CD I've listened to in a very long time, it truly touches your heart. When you listen to the music of this film, you can feel all the emotions felt by the men that were there.
The film, on the most part, follows the book minute by minute. There was not enough time to go in depth into each and every soldier's life, but the movie did a good job in trying to get a little bit of everyone's background in.
The setting is great, the audio is awesome, and it is without a doubt, one of the best films ever made.
Whoever wrote the script tried but could of done better, so if you hear that the acting sucks, it doesn't. The acting is great, it is just the script is a little weak.
Overall, this is a must-see movie. Take your wife, your kids, some buddies and go watch it.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable by testosterone filled teenagers
Review: If you want to see lots of action and violence, this is the movie for you. A good 90 minutes of the flick could have been interchanged without affecting the movies' plot. This film is all violence and it's quite graphic at times.
The movie has few redeeming qualities and I found it to be very boring. Then again, I've seen things blow up and people kill each other in movies for decades now. Show me something new or at least have some character development and interesting dialogue while it's happening.

Rating:
Summary: A Testiment to Those Who Serve.
Review: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN forever changed the way war movies are made. Even medicore war movies and a few bad ones that have been made since 1998 tend to have a more realistic portrayal of combat life. Having never served in the military I do not make this claim myself, but do so only after listening to veterans speak of their experiences and comparing them to what they now see on the screen.

With that said, BLACK HAWK DOWN is an exciting and riveting film that neither downplays the U.S. involvement in foreign fields of conflict nor disrespects the men who serve. The movie moved me in much the same way that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN did. I left the theatre feeling even more grateful to all those in uniform who risk their lives so that we, and so many others around the world, can enjoy the blessings of freedom.

Ridley Scott's direction is genius and in BLACK HAWK DOWN he has made a worthwhile film that makes up for the fiasco that was HANNIBAL. There aren't very many stand-out performances in the film because it is an ensemble piece, but there are two exceptions. One is the pretty-boy Josh Hartnett who does a remarkable job as the character who is the moral center for most of the film. The other outstanding performance is that of Ewan McGregor. I didn't even know McGregor was in this film until the end credits rolled. His versatility as an actor continues to amaze me.

A great film, not for the faint hearted, but should be watched by all Americans nevertheless.