Black Hawk Down

Rating:
Summary: Good DVD that should a true story!
Review: First let me begin by saying that normally I would give this movie 5 stars, but I am saving that rating for "We Were Soldiers" one of the best ever made. This falls in behind that movie.

I remember when I left the theater after seeing "Black Hawk Down" and telling people that it was intense, and the DVD is no different. The movie works very well in DVD and the picture and sound are both wonderful.

As for the story, I think it was a great depiction of what happened in 1993. As I watched the film, I could not believe that these young men were put into this situation. There was such a high loss of life, and the film really makes you ask the question, what was it all for?

All in all I would say that this was a good movie and I would highly recomend this DVD!

Rating:
Summary: Confusing
Review: While I was watching Black Hawk Down, I had a considerable amount of trouble focusing on the plot (was there one?) because I could never tell who was who. Even when I watched the closing credits, some of the names of the characters I didn't even recognize. Although it had a lot of great action, that was all there was. So if you want to see two hours of gunfire, fighting, and blood, this is the movie for you, but don't expect a great story, or any story at all for that matter.

Rating:
Summary: Gritty Realism
Review: I would have liked to have given this movie five stars but that has to be reserved for truely exceptional movies and this wasn't quite there. Having said that I think that Ridley Scott is an exceptional director and this is a fine movie. The characters are a little underdeveloped but this is not a movie that is essentially about characters. It is a movie about an event. It is not a romantic swashbuckler like The Three Musketeers. It is a piece of gritty realism about a real event and like real life in moments of high stress events can seem to flash by at a pace that defies our ability to think about them. I saw the History Channel presentation of this incident shortly after seeing the movie and if anything the movie probably understated the confusion and chaos of that 24 hours. It also did not overstate the violence. Estimates of Sommali casualities are frightening. This was the news like tha papers never tell it. Worth seeing for that alone.

Rating:
Summary: Intense action, based on the book
Review: First I must admit that I a big fan of military history, war movies, and a former US Army officer, so I had big expectations for this movie. Having read the book before seeing the movie, overall I am pleased with the results.

The movie does a solid job of telling the tragic and heroic story of what happened to US soldiers in Somalia during this infamous raid. The filming is very well done, and I think the director really captures the look and feel of the chaos that unfolded that day. Be warned, some of the scenes are pretty graphic, and there is a lot of blood since the fighting was non-stop and both sides relentless during this battle. If the first twenty minutes of Saving Private Ryan make you squirm, this film may also make you a bit uncomfortable.

The story itself is tragic, for both sides. Casualties are heavy for the Somalies, and American lost some of its finest soldiers. The movie does a pretty balanced job of showing how no one really won this battle.

But, on the other hand, the story is also inspirational, in that it shows what a group of well trained, close knit, US soldiers can accompish, despite the enormous odds they face. This battle could have turned into a modern day Little Big Horn, if it were not for the actions of these fine soldiers, NCOs, and officers during this crisis. When all is said and done, I am thankful that the US has soldiers who are willing to pay the ultimate price for freedom.

One warning that I will pass along is that the movie may be hard to follow if you have not read the book, or are unfamiliar with US military operations. Also, no real character develop takes place, the events of the day are the main focus of the film. So, if you are expecting to learn a lot about the men who fought in this battle you will probably be disappointed by this film.

Having said that, I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in learning more about the events that occurrerd during this raid. The movie is shot like a documentary, so I think you will learn a lot, and be proud of the men who fought that day. RLTW.

Rating:
Summary: Great War Movie
Review: Very detailed depiction of a real battle. The action was outstanding. Some scenes are unforgettable. Great movie!

Rating:
Summary: This Movie IS NOT For The Weak At Heart
Review: Great Movie, but man......... Some of those action scenes were just grusome. Ligaments flying off everywhere. This movie IS NOT for the weak at heart.

Rating:
Summary: Gritiy Realism
Review: Made you feel like you were there right along beside the soldiers and at same time gald to be safely home
...
The drection was outstanding come on it's ridley scott
hartnett has great screen ability i think he will become a great actor ...
...

Rating:
Summary: Adrenaline Packed ride..Short on depth
Review: I just rented Black Hawk Down yesterday, and was enthralled by this action packed movie, with a tight direction by Ridley Scott, very good cinematography and fast paced editing to keep you at the edge of your seat. The helicopter scenes offer great stunts, and the fighting is in your face and very raw.
Some of the street fighting scenes/sets reminded me a bit of Full Metal Jacket,while the shadowy and mostly distant 'baddies' (the somali militias) reminded me of the murderous creoles in Southern Comfort or even the gangs of Warriors, chasing the good guys in the claustrophobic hell of a city. And because it is based on true events, the fighting was more poignant.
In a cinematic sense, and although it is a tragic story because it really did happen,it was fresh to see a hard edged war film that is not set in World War II or Vitenam.
BUT, the film left a bitter after taste..and for the following reasons, and I am not going into the real story behind the film and the US involvement etc, since it was well reviewed.

1-The whole killing and fighting had a computer game feel to them..if you played Delta Force you will know what i mean.

2-It was very violent, and while I suspect Scott wanted to show how brutal that short but very deadly war was, some of the scenes were very graphic..(triggiring in my mind the eternal debate of how studios and censors accept such gore yet flash their scissors and cry 'Murder'at intimacies and sex in movies)
So,do we really need to see so much gore?

3-As some reviewers have mentioned, there are no visual background to the US involvement or the somalis condition..What we see of the somalis mostly are the gun totting, trigger happy evil militias who are starving their own people..The scene towards the end of an eldery somali carrying a dead child, is too sentimental, without giving the viewer the background to sympathize with his predicament.
4-it was 144 minutes.. a bit too long I thought, as some scenes, especially in the US base camp dragged on a bit, probably intending to develop some of the soldier's characters, but did not fully work.
So if you expect the excellent Saving Private Ryan or the poetic masterpiece of Thin Red Line, you will be disappointed. However if you want to enjoy an action packed movie,then by all means RENT but don't BUY Black Hawk Down.

Rating:
Summary: A great story of modern war
Review: "Black Hawk Down" is a film that proves that combat and war is no less brutal terrifying than it was in the days of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. No where in this film is the violence ever glamourized or made to seem good, war is a terrible thing, but unfortunately it is something that has been with man since its beginning and most likely until its end. All the young actors like Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor show the youthfulness of the Rangers who were on average no older than 18, while the Delta soldiers were hardened veterans going back to Vietnam. Ridley Scott did an excellant job showing that no matter how well the training, you can never be fully prepared, which we learned, but unfortunately at the cost of 19 American lives and thousands of Somali lives. The scenes which include the Humvee convoy being chopped to pieces and Michael Durants crash site being overrun show the horrors of combat and how true heros are made in the heat of battle and never intentionally. The constant moving of the camera and scenes gives you the unsettling "you-are-there" feeling that most war films include. And because my brother was among that Humvee convoy and at the time I was living at the base from which the 160th SOAR pilots came from, this is more than a movie for me but more a tribute to the true heros who gave their lives and came home to those honorable, yet heartbreaking funerals for those who give their lives for their country. "Saving Private Ryan" was the film for our grandfathers, "Platoon" was for our fathers and uncles, but "Black Hawk Down" is for our brothers.

Rating:
Summary: A great film!!!
Review: This is a great film depicting yet again another situation where America's fine young men in uniform are put in harm's way only to be abandoned by their own country. It's so refreshing to watch a film showing the men in the military the proud, brave, courageous, honorable men that they are. This film doesn't depict soldiers as the cartoonish soldier who doesn't feel pain. This movie showed their human side, they were friends, they were shot, they were hurt, they died, and they stood next to their buddies protecting each other until they were killed or out of amunition and then killed. A great great movie which every one should watch to acknowledge what the real soldiers were put through.