Rent Black Hawk Down (2001)

One of the best war films ever made - Black Hawk Down review by JD

On watching this again, given the changing world you can start to question the politics (although Ridley Scott as youd expect makes sure theres plenty of clues laid out) about this conflict and the US operation.

But it doesnt change the film one bit. There is no glorifying war, no vilifying one side, no sillyness. Its just a gritty, accurate war film.

Apparently the US asked british SF for help - but after taking a look at the planned op the SAS told them where to go and not to bother.

So the US did there thing. And it has to be said, while its made for an incredible film. The cost in life is terrible, on both sides.

The panic, fear and courage are all captured here. The rangers, an elite force in there own right looking to the Delta guys for inspiration (Rangers while well trained arent cut in battle like SF are) demonstrates the horror of what the US troops faced in this mess of an operation.

I loved this film when i first watched it for its accurate, no messing portrayal of events (even tho the film could be considered mild compared to the actual events)

On watching again with a more open mind the film is even better. There are no bad guys, no good guys. Just men (and women in the case of the locals) demonstrating courage in a horrible situation.

In my recent viewing the couple of spoken lines from the UN troops are hard and truthfull. On first watching you question there motivation. Next time its obvious, they are making a point about the cowboy behaviour of the US.

Its fantastic stuff, both being entertaining and also making you question the value of such decisions and policies.

Who says Ridley Scott was a 2 hit wonder!

The Essential Combat Film - Black Hawk Down review by GI

The combat film par excellence. Based on real events that took place in Mogadishu in October 1993 when US forces attempted to snatch two lieutenants of a warlord and were nearly overrun by the local militia resulting in the loss of nineteen soldiers, two helicopters and many wounded. They also killed over a 1000 somalis. Director Ridley Scott brings his usual visual detail and fast paced, adrenaline driven editing in what is essentially one long battle narrative. The film captures the confusion of modern combat and at times it's an effort to keep track of who is who as various groups of soldiers are dispersed and move through the city. There's no real character studies here, no romance, no attempt at political ideology or the rights and wrongs of the incident, this is a film that attempts to show the visceral, brutal effects of war and in that it succeeds very well indeed. There is attempts to highlight that many of those taking part are barely adults and it has sadness as friends are lost. It's quite an experience to watch this and a real cinematic achievement, epic in structure and design and wonderfully directed even though at times it's quite gruesome. It has a significant cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Sam Shepard, Ewan Bremner, Jason Isaacs, Orlando Bloom and it's the first film of Tom Hardy. An exhilarating experience to watch and a film to seek out if you've never seen it.

A visceral, bloody & deeply shocking war movie about one of the worst US military disasters - Black Hawk Down review by TB

Featuring an all-star cast, this is the sort of film that only someone like Ridley Scott could pull off. Based on the catastrophic loss of 2 Black Hawk helicopters during what was meant to be a fairly by-the-numbers military operation, this is a (very liberal with the truth) film about how a well-trained & highly equipped US military division was overwhelmed & pinned down by a largely unskilled but furious & heavily armed militia.

Production wise, this film is in many ways as close as it is possible to portray being in a warzone: the claustrophobia, coupled with an incredible sound design & cinematography, throws you right into the center of the action. And speaking of action, the mid-air/scenes of helicopters & aircraft is flawless.

Also, alongside that, the level of violence shown is both gruesome & shocking. A scene in which 2 soldiers are overwhelmed whilst trying to protect another comrade is genuinely nasty & almost unwatchable, such is the brutality shown.

However, it would be remiss of me to also not reference the significant criticism levelled at the film for it's representation of Somalis: not one of them or any of the Africans represented after the opening credits is portrayed as anything other than violence-obsessed, inhumane murderers. And even when I first watched it many years ago, I still vividly remember that unease.

But the best thing & the reason this film gets 4 stars is, despite all the action, it is the most anti-war war film you could possibly imagine. In Black Hawk Down, war is hell. It is a place where the slaughter is everywhere, lives are snuffed out in an instant & no-one is safe, irrelevant if you are in a bulletproof Humvee or crouching behind a wall. This is conflict at its most stark, devastatingly shown in unflinching detail on screen.