Rating: 
Summary: The best of the recent glut of war films.
Review: Black Hawk Down is one of the definitive war films of all-time, thanks to Ridley Scott's brilliant and precise direction, the competent cast, and the harrowing battle sequences. With the exception of Peter Jackson, no other director came close to what Scott accomplished for his uncompromising vision of hell on earth. It's all the more disappointing that he was robbed of the Oscar he truly deserved. Instead, it went to Ron Howard, who gave us a cloying, manipulative, and emotionally overwrought film in A Beautiful Mind. Sorry, but the true best picture and director of 2001 was Black Hawk Down and its helmer, Ridley Scott.
Rating:
Summary: Ridley Scott's best film to date.
Review: Ridley Scott, who's made his own fair share of [not so hot ones] in his days, comes charging back with the best film of his highly-touted career in Black Hawk Down, also his most bloodiest and most violent (and this is the same man who directed Alien, 1492, Gladiator, and Hannibal, so he's pretty familiar with violence). After a forty-minute set-up, Black Hawk Down is one frantically paced skirmish after another, as the U.S. Rangers find themselves heavily outnumbered from all sides.Simply from the horrific situation these men are in, Down delivers some truly harrowing and emotionally brutal moments that will deliver jolts to even hardened war-movie lovers. The film's numerous action sequences make this a must for those actually want to experience a film.
Rating:
Summary: The minor flaws don't distract at all.
Review: Okay, yes, Black Hawk Down has been accused of having not enough character development. But the point is that such an event could simply not be told from just one or even two or three people's POVs. After all, this was a real-life catastrophic battle that revolved around over 100 soldiers. Usually, most war films focus on the leader of the unit, but in this film's case, the man in charge, Gen. Garrison (Sam Shephard), wasn't even in at Mogadishu! Plus, there are several smaller units trapped in the city, each with their own commander. Thus, you can see why character development might seem to be a problem. But the fact is, all the actors play their parts well, and this truly does feel like a real ranger unit. Believe me, that's more than enough for the battle scenes to have their effect.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the best war film ever.
Review: Yes, I realize that statement is going to make many Spielberg, Kubrick, Cimino, Coppola, and Stone fans gasp and shout "blasphemy!" at the top of their lungs. But Ridley Scott's vision is even more raw and intense than what they presented without any of the excess baggage. Sure, Black Hawk Down does not have the character development of Saving Private Ryan, but it has none of that film's slight sentimental misstrokes. Scott also forgoes on any philosophical or allegorical musings. He doesn't need to hide behind any greater meaning because his intent is plain and simple: show the hell the soldiers go through. Amazing battle scenes and displays of courage are what standout in this brilliant war film.
Rating: 
Summary: Well Done, But Somewhat Overdone....
Review: Great movie if you enjoy blood and guts war movies. I had trouble keeping track of who was who (amoung the good guys), couldn't really find a plot, but it was certainly realistic and kept you on the edge of your seat. I veiwed this with 4 males who all agreed with my assesment, which surprised me, especially considering the awesome reveiews the movie had gotten. Did drag out at places and could have been done in less time.
Rating:
Summary: True Heroism , True Patriotism , and Sacrifice for America.
Review: Somalia,Mogadishu 1993, Mohammed Ferrah Adid uses starvation
to kill 300,000 Somaili's his Lt.'s have orders from Adid to stop
any U.N. food shipments from coming into the country which makes
famine on nothing more than a biblical scale.In October 4 , 1993
U.S. orders are to go into Mogadishu and caputure Adid and his
top Lt's a mission that would take no longer then 45 minutes at
the most black hawk helicopters would carry them to the site. A team of Delta Force and Rangers would be on the mission
they get the code for the mission Irene.When they touch down
they endure heavey fire almost instantly.Having one casuilty
and one injury they get their target but suddenly a Black
Hawk Helicopter is shot down by the somalian malitia from an
R.P.G. now the mission turns from an excursion to an actual
battle the Delta Force and Rangers outnumberd and taking
heavy casuilteys the soliders must now defend the crash site
at all costs.With convoy lost and taking heavy casuilteys
yet another Black Hawk helicopter goes down.It look's very
heartbreaking for the U.S. team all the while our soldiers
are dying or getting wounded at every corner and at one time
fighting off the entire city. Meanwhile while the politicans in Washington sit on there
butts uninformed about what's happening not even bringing Nato
in the picture.In one scene ill equipped with medical suppiles
two soldiers must perform surgery on a terribly wounded soldier
by reparing his artery with no morphine these are the horrific
and brutal things that are own U.S. soldiers had to experience
in Mogadishu.Nato who finally comes into to escort the soliders
to Pakistan Stadium but not while leaving some soldiers to run
an entire mile underfire to the stadium. In the end Clinton orderd all U.S. Troops out of Somalia in
a heartwrenching defeat for the U.S.,19 U.S. soldiers would make
the ultimate sacrifice for their country and would show that we
are vulnirable just because we are Americans does not mean we
can't loose a war.And we ask ourselves why , why do these young
men put themselves so easily into war , we can see what it was like in this in this film and in documentaries in this movie
industry of ours that's really all hollywood can do is show us
what the war looks like , but one thing hollywood can't do is
show us what war is like or what it feels like unless you have been in one there is just no way you will know.Even now down in
Afganistan as U.S. soldiers are fighting the war on terror and
making the ultimate sacrifice is that love for our country that
no enimey can take away from us and every U.S. soldier takes
an oath to defend that is what we should be thankful for. Ridley Scott captures this war perfectly even though it is a
bare bones DVD it is worth picking it up because it is worth
looking into and while it is no Saving Private Ryan it is a very
good and patriotic film.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible absolutly incredible
Review: Black Hawk Down is a non stop action movie. It never stops to thrill you and keeps you thinking aboutit after the movie. After i saw it i went out to Borders and gabbed the book( Which is also a great peice of literature and I highly recomend it)The only flaw i could find like another guy said is tha they dont idenify the charechters good enough. I was absolutly stuned by this movie!
Rating:
Summary: So Beautiful
Review: I watched Black Hawk Down several times over, and no matter how many times I saw it I could not force myself to believe it wasn't real. It defies any boundary ever set down by a previous movie...it's almost more than a movie. There is no plot other than the obvious, no biased one-sided storyline, no character developement, no soap opera drama. It simply is what it is, not prettied up in any way. Black Hawk Down stays so true to itself throughout the film. The characters in it are so genuine...you see who they really are every moment they are present, in hidden, unexploited gestures.
I was at a loss of words whenever I tried to think about it. How can one describe the awestruck world it embodies, it unveils?
This film meant something to me, and it doesn't matter if someone agrees or disagrees or doesn't like it. What matters is that people view it for what it really is: a breath of life
Rating:
Summary: Certainly, Unforgettable ... Maybe
Review: BLACK HAWK DOWN is the kind of moviemaking that the 1940s was full of: great, gritty war stories about the men who faced death going into combat. It's single greatest flaw is the fact, unlike those 1940 films, there's very little to the narrative exploring the reasons behind their being in the middle of a hornet's nest. Yes, the reason for the engagement is provided, but it's not a central thread to the story. Bullets replace bullet points in this action film based on real events that unfolded in 1993 Somalia. The performances are all top notch. While it becomes increasingly difficult to tell who is who as the battle reaches a fever pitch, you can't help but be pulled deeper and deeper into the frenetic pace of the film. A must-see for fans of true-to-life military films. A rare cinema accomplishment.
Rating:
Summary: Terror in the streets
Review: Only the soldiers who were there really know what happened in Mogadishu on that one eventful day in October 1993. We (everyone else in the world) get a pretty good idea with "Black Hawk Down". The accounts of what happened were horrific. How could a 1-hour operation turn into a 16-hour massacre with 18 U.S. soldiers dead? I've been fascinated with this whole ordeal and have read article after article about what happened. "Black Hawk Down" (in my opinion) is an excellent representation of what probably happened... detail for detail. The first 30-40 minutes are somewhat slow in this movie... the story is being told, the stage is being set... you get to know the main characters a bit. Once the first bullet is fired, it's a 90 minute gripping fight for survival. A small group of soldiers against a city of thousands... where woman and children are not afraid to pick up a gun and waste you... it's downright scary. If you were to choose one word to describe this film, it would be CHAOS. Director Ridley Scott ("Gladiator", "Blade Runner", "Alien") bounces back wonderfully after directing the misrable "Hannibal". Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Sizemore do fine jobs as Rangers (Sizemore is quickly becoming a Hollywood war picture star with 3 recent winners under his belt - "Saving Private Ryan", "Pearl Harbor" and now "Black Hawk Down"). Sam Shepard does an admirable job calling the shots as the General. This 144 minute (widescreen) DVD does not come with too many bells & whistles... only thing extra here is a trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Watch for the Somalian 'extra' in this film with the bright red pants... he seems to be on every street running about.
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