Writer: Ken Nolan
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ron Eldard
Released: 2001
Black Hawk Down tells the story of an American operation to capture a Somali warlord who has declared war on UN personnel in Mogadishu. During the operation, the titular helicopter is shot down, and in the resulting chaos, and actions by the Somali militia, the various groups of soldiers are separated and must fight for their lives until help can arrive.
This film is a visual masterpiece, never has a war film been this brutal or intense. Featuring a stellar cast (Ewan McGregor, Jason Isaacs, Tom Hardy, William Fichtner and Sam Shephard - to name but a few of the actors here with lesser roles), and non-stop action after the first 30 minutes (the set-up for the operation), this is probably as close to the real thing as Hollywood has ever done.
On the downside, the film is much too long at almost 150 minutes. It's also very repetitive, featuring almost constant shoot-outs between American soldiers and Somalis on rooftops. Also, one of the more intersting parts of the film, the capture of Ron Eldard's character by the Somalis, is not followed at all (save for a brief mention at the end of the film). Josh Hartnett is also very weak as the leading character in the film, especially considering some of the acting talent elsewhere in the film. There is also no characterisation of any of the Somali characters; they are only here to shoot guns and get killed.
This is a very flawed film, but I think that any film fan should watch this at least once purely for the sheer visceral thrill of the relentless battle scenes. Ridley Scott's direction of these scenes is immense, as are the scenes themselves. Watching literally hundreds/thousands of people at war on the streets is something that you won't have seen before, at least not in as epic, realistic or amazing a way as is done here. This is one of Ridley Scott's greatest achievements as a director, if not one of his greatest films.
Rating: 3/5
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