Black Hawk Down Movie Review:


When I used to teach History, I used to be asked by my students why it was important to know history since it was nothing but events in the past. When asked this question, I would mention that if one remains ignorant of what had happened before, one might be doomed to repeat it. I used the recent conflict in Bosnia that was spurred on by the Horrors of World War II, and the need to make sure that people are protected from ethnic violence as an example.

While many students saw the wisdom in this answer, it is a shame that history has a sad way of repeating itself. Take the case of the current conflict in Afghanistan, as our forces are engaged in a battle to capture and topple an individual who has caused suffering and death amongst millions of people, it is all to familiar to those of us who were in the Armed forces in the early 90’s. Just as the conflict with Iraq was winding down, reports of widespread deaths and abuses in the nation of Somalia were reported. The local warlords had started an all out battle for power, and 300,000 people had been killed and scores more were starving and suffering. The world poured in relief supplies only to learn that the items were being confiscated upon arrival by the top Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and his followers.
Unwilling to stand aside and let this continue, The United States sent in troops to assist the UN troops in restoring order and bringing Aidiad and his men to justice.

In the film “Blackhawk Down”, director Ridley Scott has combined with action producer Jerry Bruckheimer to bring the true story of the battle of Mogadishu that took place on October 3rd 1993. The film is based on the book by Mark Bowden and tells the story of the elite soldiers that were sent on a mission to capture top officials of Aidiad as they met for a meeting. What started as a textbook mission soon became a nightmare when two Blackhawk helicopters were shot down, and the soldiers found themselves separated and cut off as they attempted to rescue crash survivors and accomplish their mission. Filmed on location in Moracco, the film centers on a group of men many facing combat for the first time. Josh Hartnett Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann, (Josh Hartnett), is the young soldier taking command of combat troops for the first time, Grimes (Ewan McGregor) is a soldier who has spent his time behind a desk and now gets to taste combat, Gen. William Garrison (Sam Shepard), is a leader who cares for his men but is pressured by the military brass to bring and end to the conflict, Lt. Colonel McKnight (Tom Sizemore), is a officer who gets things done and makes sure his men are taken care of. There are a number of other characters and while lesser, they are every bit as important to the mission as the men commanding them.
The film is a fascinating look into an event that got little coverage in the media at the time. The aftermath of the mission left 18 Soldiers dead, 73 wounded and hundreds of Somalians dead as the planned one-hour mission became a fifteen-hour standoff. Several city blocks of controlled population descended upon the men and the crash sites with the goal of killing or capturing the soldiers and getting the technology in the Blackhawks. By following the strict leave no soldier behind policy, the troops constantly re-entered dangerous areas, even when safely clear of the fighting in order to retrieve their comrades. While heroic, this caused even more casualties as wounded men continued to fight and worsen their injuries.

Blackhawk shows the true horror of combat, as the action is intense and graphic. It also avoids many of the soldier clichés of most war films. Aside from a new recruit that viewers are sure is about to get in over his head, the men are a diverse and unique bunch. The men are regular people who are doing a job they were asked to do. The biggest problem with the film is that it is long, and Scott’s pacing at times makes the film plod and drag out. Another issue I had with the film is that due to the short hair, the blood, and the dirt, on the cast, it was very difficult to tell many of the actors apart and this hindered forming an attachment to various soldiers as many of them became faceless grunts.

That being said, the film was enjoyable and very informative. With a bit of editing this movie could have been a fast paced action film with substance and story. As it stands now, it is a long, slow, and at times interesting look into a tragic event that paved the way for the removal of American troops from the region.

Gareth Von Kallenbach

How many of you out there remember "the first twenty minutes" of Saving Private Ryan? For many (myself included) the high point of that film was director Steven Spielberg's handheld vision of the harsh chaotic realism of war. Well, the "last 90 minutes" of Black Hawk Down offer a similar view of the mayhem and brutality of war. Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down avoids preaching (like Ryan) or reflection (like A Thin Red Line) in favor of a searing display of the grim realities of disorganized conflict on foreign soil.

Those of you who prefer our movie with more than just a dollop of character or story won't find this picture entirely to your tastes. Nevertheless, the visceral charge generated by the battle sequences form an incredible assault on the senses. Like overcaffeinated spiked coffee, the movie is gripping, intense and violent, but in a good way.

The film is adapted from a book of the same name written by journalist Mark Bowden. The story focuses on the elite group of American military personnel who are given the difficult assignment of traveling into the heart of Mogadishu to seize political prisoners and attack certain advisers of the military warlord Farrah Aidid based on the true events of 1993. Commanded by Sam Shepard's haggard looking General Harrison, the teams of US Rangers and Delta Force personnel are given different tasks for what should be a simple one-hour mission. Instead of a straightforward mission, the conflict ultimately turns into a bloody 12 hour ordeal in the heart of hostile territory. The title of the film refers to the special brand of US helicopter which transports many of the men to the battle site and two of which are felled during the fighting.

Bowden's minute-by-minute account is far more detailed and offers profiles of Somali characters too. The film's portrayal of Somalis as unidentified mass of fighters uncomplicates the war for viewers. By refusing the acknowledge the identity of their opposition or even of the people they are trying to "save," this choice prevents the film from facing perhaps the most brutal aspect of war - the killing of other humans. No Somali in the film is a fully-realized character and while the filmmakers may use time constraints as their excuse, the choice is one of the few that opts for patriotic over realistic.

The performances in the film are strong. Josh Hartnett's sensitive turn as the idealistic young leader Eversmann makes us forget about his comic book flyboy role in that "other" war movie. Tom Sizemore also stands out as a no b.s. Ranger who supervises the prisoner evacuation. Other familiar faces include Jeremy Piven and Ron Eldard as helicopter pilots and Ewan McGregor as a typist turned soldier. Even with the strong performances what stands out above all else are the incredible battle sequences. The brutal chaos and gory nature of armed conflict is presented in a manner that honestly makes the viewer feel like part of the action. While that sounds great in a "I have good seats to the war" kind of way, the scene is not pretty. Most will leave the theater totally exhausted from the intensity of the battle that they only watched for some 100 odd minutes. It is incredible to think of those who fought for the entire twelve-hour ordeal. The only physical pain I experienced afterward came from my hand which was still locked in its armrest deathgrip.

Black Hawk Down is a good film. Its intensity and realism are enough to overcome its plot and character shortcomings. In a way, I imagine that was the point of the film - to depict the complexity, brutality and chaos of the modern war rather than focus on any particular solider or unit's story. On that account, the film certainly succeeds.

Abhijay Prakash

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Black Hawk Down and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.