Rating: 
Summary: Intense movie that is hard to watch
Review: I struggled to watch this movie. It was very well done and a good movie don't get me wrong, but what those boys were put through made me feel very indignant. Why does the US military feel that it has to police every nation into treating its people better? I feel that a nation needs to work things out for themselves so that when they achieve independance and freedom, they will know the struggles that it took to gain it and they wil use it productively. imagine if during the time of American slavery, another more powerful nation came in and tried to fix it for them. America would not be as great as they are today. It is a long road to develop self determination for a nation and it must be developed on its own. I know I am digressing from the movie topic but these are the thoughts that I had as I saw this movie. The movie was very visual and very well directed. a triumph yet stil, hard to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome War Movie!
Review: This movie ranks next to Saving Private Ryan among my favorite war movies of all time! Josh Hartnett delivers a strong performance as Sergeant Matt Eversmann during the Battle of Mogadishu in October of 1993. The objective of the mission was to capture one of Aidid's top lieutenants. The movie didn't get boring, and it seemed like there was almost nonstop action. The movie did have some gory parts, but you have to read Mark Bowden's book to truly appreciate director Ridley Scott's masterpiece. The weapons were realistic and the movie follows the book's storyline very closely. I recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of war or action films.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good but Not in Same Class as My Top 2 War Films
Review: This is a gut wrenching, true American war film about our war efforts in Somalia which mirror pretty closely what is going on in Afghanistan today. As a war film, it totally succeeds. However, my top 2 such films are "Apocalypse Now" and "Platoon" and I can't put this on the same level as those. Those two managed to transcend the war genre, taking the genre to a whole new plateau. "Apocalypse Now" rendered a wholly artistic, surreal version of war whereas "Platoon" presented war from a "you are there at grunt level" point of view. Also, the sheer acting ability in those 2 films eclipse all other war performances. But Ridley Scott knows how to make an action movie and does so here. If you are a war afficiando you will love it.
Rating:
Summary: Non-stop action, but too much testosterone!
Review: After getting off to a slow start, this movie puts the ACTION back in action flicks and literally is a non-stop battle for the final 75 percent of the film. For those who have a gung-ho attitude post-9/11, this is a nice way to get your aggressions out. OK, the Somalis had nothing to do with 9/11, but they seem close enough, they are Muslim, and what the heck, who cares? Someone challenges and shoots at the Army? Let's go get 'em! And that's what this movie does -- over and over and over. I think more bullets were used in this movie than in all the westerns Hollywood ever cranked out -- well, the SOUND of bullets being fired. The action can be kind of fun, but there are so many characters that keeping who's who in perspective is a bit of a challenge. The shift of emphasis from character to character reminded me of the HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers" where just as you get to know a character, he's killed or wounded and the camera goes off and follows someone else. This is a decent enough action movie, but it's kind of a Rambo without a central character, and in a way that's its biggest flaw. There are so many people involved, it's hard to get emotionally connected to any of them. Watch it, but keep young children away from the flopping legless soldiers and the flying body parts. It's a wee bit gruesome at times. Talk about gung-ho! Not a BAD movie, but certainly not destined for classic status, either.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Normal War Movie
Review: Do not expect the typical war film in which you are shown soldiers who have signed up to save the world. Do not expect a message about fighting for the right cause. This movie is simply about fighting and sacrifice. There's nothing too advanced here, because for the almost twenty hours that his battle took place, nothing really mattered except survival. This film covers what might be a single scene in the grander scheme of things, but it seeks to highlight the efforts of the modern U.S. soldier, who fights wherever and whenever called.
Rating: 
Summary: Warnography?
Review: Since Saving Private Ryan's opening D-Day scene hammered audiences five years ago, Hollywood has taken that movie's brutality a couple steps further with war films and miniseries ("Band of Brothers") that are, essentially, 2 hour battle sequences. Certainly, it's important to show modern audiences just how horrific war can be. But to do it to such numbing effect ends up having the reverse effect upon viewers. We become desensitized to even the most shocking violence, and films that are meant to be anti-war are morphed into intensely graphic action films.Nothing illustrates this point better than Black Hawk Down. While Ridley Scott's film is masterful in its technical details, and its ability to illustrate the tactics of modern warfare and how they can fall apart, it fails to establish any real sense of character or story. We concentrate on a cast of maybe 20 or 30 soldiers as they participate in the disastrous 1993 raid in Somalia. But because there are so many characters, and because their introductions are so brief and indistinct, it's impossible to involve yourself in the personal stakes of the raid itself. Of course, we knew nothing about the characters in Ryan before they went into battle, but we learned about them during the battle and had the added context of just what was at stake (namely, the free world itself). Here, the purpose is somewhat questionable, and that works against the audience relating to the characters. So, without any real attachment to any of the men involved, we watch for 90 minutes as they endure hell on Earth. But keeping track of it all is so difficult that eventually you give up, and the resulting barrage of blank warfare feels like piling on. There's really no point in watching it, unless you really enjoy watching warfare. In that sense, you could call it Warnography, because it's war without context. And that's too bad, because the story behind Black Hawk Down is extraordinarily compelling. But that's lost here in a haze of gunfire. Then again, that might be your thing. (Note: When the film is over, we see a screen telling us that 19 Americans died and that over 1,000 Somalis died. How did the Somalis die? Were they all killed by Americans? Did warring factions kill each other? It's critical information that's left out, and makes Black Hawk Down more frustrating as a result.)
Rating:
Summary: Leave No Man Behind
Review: Some view Black Hawk Down as just a great Friday night action film with lots of death and destruction. They couldn't be more wrong.
The film is based on the great book by Mark Bowden. At the beginning of the movie the audience is given a brief overview of the ongoing situation in Mogadishu, Somalia but here's a more detailed background...
A majority of the film is devoted to the fighting and does a beautiful job of showing what war in those kind of situations is like. They are more mentally challenging then physically challenging. ...Action lovers will love gobble this tasty treat right up, however do realize that this event is very true and that 18 Americans and hundreds of Somalis died during this battle. This is to be respected during a film that ranks high on the short list of great war movies.
Rating:
Summary: The acting was great,,,but.....
Review: A little blood and guts goes a long way. I tried to look at this film with an open mind and tried to see what the director was trying to get across to his audience. If he was going for "shock value", than he did his job. If he was going for entertaining,,,,he failed.When i go to the movies or buy a DVD i like to be entertained. I'm a proud American and would do ANYTHING for my country. I don't need to see a film that has so much pain. Granted war is hell and i know what it is like to lose a friend(s) to war. But why do we have to be constantly reminded of this type of sadness throughout a movie.The acting is really well done and i don't say that lightly because if you read my reviews i'm pretty harsh on non-broadway trained actors. But the acting in this film was quite wonderful but the director could have gotten his point across without the terrible gore and pain. For acting i give this 5 stars, for directing i give it only 2. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Story - Wow!
Review: What's not to like about "all shooting and explosions"? This is a war film. What else do you watch war films for? I had seen the documentary with actual footage, but they missed a lot! This is a true story and I had no idea what those guys went thru for the good, old U.S. of A. All I can say is WOW! This is a must see for anyone who thinks the USA should be the world's police force. It's a very dangerous position. See it!
Rating:
Summary: Eerie portrayal of war.
Review: Too many movies show war with a hero...there are no hero's in war. This was about the emotion the soldiers go through when they are trapped with only themselves, that they have to trust each other with their lives, and risk you life for on man, and the next man risks his life for you. At first I didnt like that there wasn't much character development, but after I thought about the message behind the film, I liked it more. This is by far the bloodiest movie I have ever seen, not for the weak stomache people. It's a non-stop movie, you don't get a second to breathe, then again, if I were on the streets of Somolia the night of October 3, I don't imagine the delta's or rangers had much time to breathe either. I wish there was more included on the DVD (my reason for only 4 stars...), I actually wish the movie was LONGER.
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