Black Hawk Down
by Ridley Scott
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, William FichtnerDirector: Ridley Scott
Brand: Black Hawk
Producer: Branko Lustig
Producer: Chad Oman
Producer: Harry Humphries
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Producer: Mike Stenson
Writer: Ken Nolan
Writer: Mark Bowden
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed); English (Published), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 144 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-06-11
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Product features:
- TESTED OK
- 2001 DATE ON THIS DVD
Movie Reviews of Black Hawk Down
Movie Review: Engrossing War Film on Urban Warfare
Summary: 5 Stars
I wish more war movies were like Black Hawk Down. Black Hawk Down strips away the melodrama and cookie-cutter character development and concentrates on the situation and the hellish 18 hour battle that killed 1000 to 3000 Somalians (the exact number is unknown), killed 19 American soldiers, and wounded many others. And of course you have to Jerry Bruckheimer some props for finally making a movie that's worth it's weight, considering what else this guy has produced (among them Gone in Sixty Seconds, Pearl Harbor, G-force and butchering the legendary Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia. As a huge fan of Fantasia, I'm pissed. Maybe that's how some old school Transformers Fans feel. Still love both movies though =) ). Black Hawk Down has been criticized by other people for being racist, and that simply isn't true. Anybody who feels this movie is racist is clearly an idiot.
The Battle of Mogadishu was America's attempt to bring piece to the Somalian Civil War, which is, sadly, still going on today (starting in 1991). Attempting to capture two of Mogadishu's senior subordinates (I think), the raid was supposed to last about 45 minutes. Instead, the battle ended up lasting 18 hours, with absolutely nothing accomplished. Mogadishu became a reckless hellish piece of urban warfare. It was like a hedge maze of death, especially when stacked upon the thousands of Somalians that attacked the so called "elite" soldiers. The history of this battle is very important, both for Americans and the country of Somalia. The novel itself is very informative, and should be studied if you want to know more about this situation. The Three disc version of Black Hawk Down also features documentaries detailing this battle and it's sorroundings as well.
Black Hawk Down is special because they wisely don't give the daunting and trite task of exploring the characters. Besides, the acting is good and the soldiers are likeable anyway, and really, why do so many people feel that they have to hang out with the character to emphasize what they are going through? There in _________ combat for crying out loud! People who's life are so bankrupt that they have to know everything about a fictional character really need to get a life of their own, ie find some real people (please note liking a character and a performance does not automatically mean you don't have a life either, as the person acting is playing a reflection of themselves to show us what cannot be expressed with words. As they say, "With any part you play there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be be, otherwise you are not being an actor. You are lying).
There is a little backing and discussion of the battle, giving this a real time feel. It takes about a half hour, until, via a stunning take off sequence, that the movie plunges into the situation of this day. And the rest of the movie is pretty the Battle of Mogadishu.
Unlike other movies that claim themselves to be "action-packed", Black Hawk Down rightfully earns that claim. Furthermore, the movie is much any of your action movies, and this is a full fledged battle movie, not an action movie. Black Hawk Down has the confusion, the grittiness, and the sense of urgency that was beseiched upon these soldiers on that day. It's immersive and puts you right in the middle of Mogadishu. The film is full of situations upon situations within the whole battle itself, from the convoy fights down the alleys, a soldier losing his hearing, the little bird attacks, the quiet intense moments that lead right into intense life or death situations, and the crashing of the first helicopter (the expressions of the soldiers faces shows it all) fill this far from vanilla battle on film where the soldiers just shoot at one another with no brains. Ridley Scott's directing of the battle scenes works extremely well, as you are dropped into battle so well that you feel you are right in the action. Tense with dramatic flourishes and dizzying displays of gusto, the flair of Ridley Scott's directing talent makes for the definite image of hellish urban warfare. Hans Zimmer's intense score keeps you in check and human with the multi-faced battle. As far as I'm concered, all in all, this is THE movie for modern warfare. It doesn't get better than this.
Despite all of the accolades given to the battle scenes, I have to admit that sometimes the human element is sometimes a bit too devoid. Very rarely does this happen, but sometimes the random shooting does seem a bit tedious, although understandably needs to be there to well, make a battle scene. My pick for this is the scene where the man gets his whole lower body blown off, and the guy is, well just sitting there. He's not shaking, he's just sitting there. HELLO?! You have you whole body blown off, and you had time to soak it in. Oh yeah, the line "Tell me children I'll be okay", sounds as trite as a line from a high school romance drama. It's certain scenes like these that don't quite work, not doubt probably just put in by Jerry Bruckheimer to have gore, well, what else? No doubt that wasn't Ridley Scott's idea. There was no emotion in that scene, and I had a hard time taking this "display of horror" of war seriously.
However, Black Hawk Down, as a whole, is far from trite, as there are many touching and dramatic moments in this movie. The battle sequences are full of intense moments that plunge you deep into battle, and that alone is enough. Fortunately, there is more than "enough" of these scenes. Watching people lose their hearing, faces, open field surgery, and being impaled with rocket launchers are few of the gruesome physical disfigurements. Yes, a man getting his lower body blown off will most definitely offend anybody who has a low tolerance for gore, so I am still telling you to watch out. There are many emotional scenes too, and if you have a definite passion for these kinds of people, it might make you cry a bit.
Finally, Ridley Scott's directing and Slawomir Idziak's cinematography need to be praised. I would probably be able to a whole commentary commenting on what makes the visual style and specific shots gorgeous to look at. Scott's visuals are gorgeous, from the blue tinged opening, the slow motion of water buffaloes (or whatever animal they are) in the beginning, watching machine guns spit out there rounds in slow motion, and the ending sequence where the soldiers run back to base, while the children cheer the soldiers on. It's very touching. It's further established by the work of Idziak, no doubt responsible for these visuals. Scott uses a lot of slow motion and other visual effects, and it makes for some stunning focusing on battle situations. The scope and alienating land of Somalia is captured with beautiful visuals, and it deserves it's spot on the same list as Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Paths of Glory, and Apocalypse Now.
This is a war film that is a must see, for sure. Given the copious amount of WW2 and Vietnam movies that exist, it's time filmmakers start focusing on other wars a lot more (how many war movies exist about the Revolutionary War, one of the most important of our country, for instance?), and all we have of the current situation in Iraq is The Hurt Locker, slammed by many Iraqi War veterans as being an insult (really, I'm trusting the veterans on that one, and yes I am aware of the backlash of Apocalypse Now and still love that movie). Black Hawk Down not only breaks off the WW2 mold by giving us one of America's scariest battles. It's not a perfect film, but modern warfare will probably never be depicted as good as this. Forget such action oriented shlock suck as First Blood or Tears of the Sun, Black Hawk Down trounces that so called fun film with seriousness that it only wishes it could portray. This movie features hair-raising battle scenes that movie wishes it could do (The first rambo movie, at least).
Summary of Black Hawk Down
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Hannibal) and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon) comes a gripping true story about bravery, camaradarie and the complex reality of war. Black Hawk Down stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor), Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Eric Bana (Chopper), William Fichtner (The Perfect Storm), Ewen Bremner (Snatch) and Sam Shepard (All The Pretty Horses). In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives.Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but Black Hawk Down makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. --Jeff Shannon
Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but Black Hawk Down makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. --Jeff Shannon
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