Rating: 
Summary: Read the Book Instead (or at least read it first)
Review: This movie is just another typical, Hollywood, special effects blockbuster with no substance to back it up. You see a bunch of soldiers running around shooting, but the movie gives almost no story about who they're shooting at, where they're running to or why things went so terribly wrong on this ill fated mission.Mark Bowden's book is a gripping tale of American heroism in the face of overwhelming odds and an honest documentary of a battle most of us barely noticed on the six o'clock news. It's a shame so much of this was lost in its translation to the big screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent adaptation of the book.
Review: Best movie of the Year. Period. Forget what other feeble minded people say about this movie. It is excellent and will really hit home if you have ever served your country in the Military. Other reviewers say it is confusing. DUH. War is confusing and as many of us who have been there know it is also very acelerated and fast. I bought the book only a few days after it came out and it kept my attention through every last page. Being a new soilder when the events in Somalia where first taking place, I never new that so much happened until I read the book and numerous other accounts of the situation. War is scary,fast,slow,mean,lovely,brutal,glorious,disgusting, and on and on and on..... This movie shows that not everyone is a hero. Like the character says in the movie, "just do your duty" politics and everything else be damned. Those who can't understand that are usually the ones who never served their own country. Get this movie and try to put yourself in that situation. Think about it and know that there are people like this (young sons and daughters) that do that stuff everyday just for you and this great country. I give this movie 5 stars (saw it twice in the theater and now own the DVD). Watch it a few times and you will always see more and understand things better.
Rating:
Summary: My Personal Advice
Review: If you read the reviews, from the critics and from the customers, you'll soon see the two sides developing. Actually more like four... There are those that thought the movie was an excellent look into the modern chaos of urban warfare, and that the DVD was a worthy purchase. There are those who felt similarly about the movie, but hated the DVD. Then there are those that thought the movie was hollywood or Army propaganda and the presentation was decent, and finally, those that hated both the movie itself and the DVD.
I belong between the first and second groups.
My advice is to pick up the book, of the same name, that was published about three years ago. The author was inspired by comments made by the father of one of the fallen rangers. With an excellent prospective, the book is a must read. If you read and find the book interesting, then you rent the movie. You watch the altered cleaner version. A film can not recreate the true sansation of combat, unless of course someone stood next to the projector in the theater and fired an AK-47 over the audience. The situation leading up to and following the events of October 3 and 4 were complicated, and I expect most people would have been far more displeased if they had been included. Simply, you should not listen to either side, you should think about it for yourself, because this is a serious and necessary topic of discussion. An earlier reviewer said this movie was just about following orders, they're right, that's exactly what it was. A soldier does not involve himself in politics, he just goes out and gets shot at for a living. That's what this film is about. Not the politicians that make mistakes; but the soldiers that must live with them, or perhaps die.
Rating:
Summary: For Those Who Might Be Confused
Review: This movie does not go into the backgrounds of the characters or the motivation behind their involvement. I highly recommend you read the book by Mark Bowden and get to know the actual events and the people who were there. Someone mentioned the list of names at the end; it's not strange that you don't recognize the majority of the names, because most of those people were not depicticted, probably because introducing them and watching their struglle would be even more difficult. One named listed, Matt Rierson, was not killed during the battle, but during a mortar attack. Many of the others died on the convoys, while several characters died in different situations. For example, Lorenzo Ruiz was shot while manning a gun on a humvee...
Rating:
Summary: Wow. Felt like we were there.
Review: We watched this movie on a summer afternoon, but it seemed like we were transported into the middle of the battle. Very realistic tension (e.g. trying to save the soldier with the femoral artery leg wound). From a technical perspective, great realism with helicopters, RPGs, machine gun fire, etc. Some comic relief, especially early on (of course). Not a movie for the squeamish. Overall, very good.
Rating:
Summary: Despite what these simpleton's tell you . . .
Review: There is a plot. What? You need it spelled out for you? Okay! Here is the plot: The mission was to take down the two political figureheads that are noted at the beginning of the film. The mission was a failure because the powers that be would not grant our soldiers adequate firepower and back up to handle the mission (which failed weeks prior if you listened to the dialogue). An emergency situation ensued and from that comes our story. Marines don't leave Marines behind. When the first blackhawk went down the mission objective was changed and changed again when a second "bird" went down. By now in the movie, the Somalians had become extremely unruly and began cornering those left behind. The only option left for them was to retreat into the peace zone. That's your plot. What more do you need? Ridley Scott kept the story as grounded in fact as possible. Henceforth, he didn't get involved with creating fictional dialogue or attempting to recreate these real life people on the screen. We know little about those men now just as we did then. The idea was not to let you get to know them, but to know what they went through. Oh, and I love this one: overlong. Yeah, nice word!
Rating: 
Summary: The true purpose...
Review: Many people have said "oh this movie had no plot", or "oh this movie had great action", but that's not what this movie is about. You aren't supposed to watch this movie and then feel happy like you just watched a great comedy. This movie portrays what war is really like. After viewing this movie you should have a greater sense of respect for all of our soldiers that are fighting in any war. This is not a "Gladiator" or "Braveheart", this movie runs more along the lines of "Saving Private Ryan". Enjoy it for what it is.
Rating: 
Summary: "Into the mouth of Hell.........!"
Review: When I saw "Black Hawk Down," I found my self grimmacing and becoming unnerved. This film has THE most realistic battle scenes ever committed to film. They put everything into this one: graphic war scenes, confusion of war (you hardly knew where you were), friensdhip and comraderie, and the overall sense of sadness that this actually happened.
The DVD is nothing to praise. All it has on it are talent files, trailers for "Spider-Man" and "The One," and a production featurette! Great Film, Average DVD! Movie Grade: A (4 Stars); DVD Grade: C+ (3 Stars).
Rating:
Summary: Terrible Movie
Review: The only thing I found worthwhile about this movie was its soundtrack. Otherwise, the depiction of the events that occurred on that mission are not only obscure in the movie, but entirely inaccurate. The movie aims at making some quick bucks by riding on the patriotic environment of the US right now, but its xenophobic portrayal of the Somali people and generally, all non-Americans is both disgusting and ignorant. Most people know very little of that event, and I guarantee you that what people now believe what happened is what Black Hawk Down was so kind to depict.
Rating:
Summary: Just doesnt capture reality!!
Review: Black Hawk Down is not an awe-inspiring movie, as the title indicates.Overall, its confusing. The fighting is random and most of the events shown in the movie never really happend. Amazingly, the ending was so abrupt. The American Forces retreated and this was not actually shown in the movie. International assistance such as the Pakistani support for the U.S was extremely eppigrammatic in the movie, amid the fact that it wasnt.
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