Blackhawk Down - Good buy?

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  • jstwong
    Junior Member
    • Jun 2002
    • 12

    Blackhawk Down - Good buy?

    So fellow members, who owns this disc already? What is your opinion of the video and audio quality? Worth the buy?
  • P-Dub
    Office Moderator
    • Aug 2000
    • 6766

    #2
    Can't say right now as my copy just shipped. I got it for a pretty decent price. There's a special edition coming out, so you might want to hold off.




    Paul

    There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.
    Paul

    There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

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    • Uncle Clive
      Former Moderator
      • Jan 2002
      • 919

      #3
      Yes, I watched it last weekend. It was kinda bad timing though because I'd just returned from a funeral home a young 20 yr old friend of the family pass away. I Rented the movie to take my mind off things........bad timing!

      However, the movie was little intense reminded me of "Saving Ryan's private" or something like that. (Me bad).
      On a serious note the acting IMO was not bad, the story a little over the top but not too far out left field. Not suitable for children or those whom cannot handle guts and gore. For me, it's not a DVD flick I'd collect. I strongly suggest renting it first. For most of us this could be a "Watch once" kinda movie.

      For whatever my opinion is worth I gave it :25:




      CLIVE




      HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?
      CLIVE




      HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

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      • George Bellefontaine
        Moderator Emeritus
        • Jan 2001
        • 7637

        #4
        I picked it up Saturday at Wallyworld and will be playing it tonight. I'll post my thoughts tomorrow.




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        • George Bellefontaine
          Moderator Emeritus
          • Jan 2001
          • 7637

          #5
          WOW :!:
          This film really grabbed me by the throat and held on for two and a half of the fastest hours I have spent in my HT for a long time. This film is brutal, moving and scary, and Ridley Scott puts you right in the middle of it all, and it's all about what makes men tick under fire. These guys took courage to the very limit, and their fearless, yet fearful, attempt to stave off a city full of angry gunmen was fuelled by one thing, and one thing only -- comradeship. And the innocent victims, of this mess in Somalia, were not overlooked. The scene where an old man, carrying the lifeless body of a child, walks in front of oncoming traffic, oblivious to any danger of being run over; and the scene where a mother huddles with her children in a war-torn room, with a look on her face that still haunts me.

          Like Speilberg's SPR, Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down is destined to become a classic war film. This is film-making at its best.




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          • Uncle Clive
            Former Moderator
            • Jan 2002
            • 919

            #6
            BUMP!




            CLIVE




            HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?
            CLIVE




            HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

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            • jstwong
              Junior Member
              • Jun 2002
              • 12

              #7
              Thanks for the inputs! I too have heard of a possible SE [or is that a lock?]. Any rumors about what the SE vesion will be offering? I'll probably try renting the movie first [since I missed it in the theaters], and then decide about whether to wait for the SE or not...

              Comment

              • P-Dub
                Office Moderator
                • Aug 2000
                • 6766

                #8
                The SE is pretty much a done deal, just the actual release date is unknown. I read a full commentary as well as some more indepth making of type stuff. I'll have to dig out my source. I posted some more info on the Canadian Black Hawk Down deal thread.

                Check out the interview over at DVD File In it Ridely Scott says there's deleted scenes and Jerry Bruckheimer mentions that they recorded a commentary.




                Paul

                There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.
                Paul

                There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                Comment

                • SiliGoose
                  Senior Member
                  • Aug 2000
                  • 942

                  #9
                  the story a little over the top but not too far out left field
                  It really happened. Real life can be "over the top" sometimes.




                  -Sili
                  www.campmurphy.net

                  Comment

                  • George Bellefontaine
                    Moderator Emeritus
                    • Jan 2001
                    • 7637

                    #10
                    Yeah, Sili, the fact it really happened is why I found it so brutal and scary. The courage of these guys absolutely floored me.




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                    • SiliGoose
                      Senior Member
                      • Aug 2000
                      • 942

                      #11
                      I see. I agree. It also amazed me (having spend no time in the military) how so few trained men could kill so many of their enemy. Not to glorify death in battle but it's stunning how good these guys were at their job. Some of the Delta operators speak 4 languages and have multiple degrees.
                      Typical male ego leads me to think "I could take that guy if I had to" but this story (great book too) kind of put the ignorance of that type of thinking into perspective.




                      -Sili
                      www.campmurphy.net

                      Comment

                      • jstwong
                        Junior Member
                        • Jun 2002
                        • 12

                        #12
                        Here is a great site that encompasses what happened in Somalia...



                        *** edited to linkify the link, Paul

                        Comment

                        • Bob
                          Senior Member
                          • Jul 2000
                          • 802

                          #13
                          Great movie! First a rant, this was by far the best photographed film of 2001. Like Blade Runner, it will be another Scott movie that didn't receive the Oscar but, every cameraman will try to imitate. Anybody notice that instead of the usual blues for night, and orange for day that the cameraman used green for night and yellow for day? He actually did the same thing in Gattaca and the colors, green and yellows, have been slowly creeping into feature films and have dominated commercials since Gattaca. That the pedistrian photography of Lord of the Rings could get an Oscar is enough to make me want to scream!
                          As far as over the top goes. I have to admit that I knew nothing about our ill fated venture into Somalia until I saw a documentary about it on the Discovery Channel. There is a lot of archieved footage of this battle, from journalist and the military. Turns out that the movie is very close to an actual blow by blow account of the longest firefight in U.S. military history. While I wouldn't want to comment on the politics of being there, the courage of the men who fought the battle, including reintering the battlezone several times to try and get out the wounded is pretty amazing.

                          Comment

                          • SiliGoose
                            Senior Member
                            • Aug 2000
                            • 942

                            #14
                            That the pedistrian photography of Lord of the Rings could get an Oscar is enough to make me want to scream!
                            Is that because the voters voted for the photographic subject (pretty scenery) rather than the photographic skill and art?




                            -Sili
                            www.campmurphy.net

                            Comment

                            • Bob
                              Senior Member
                              • Jul 2000
                              • 802

                              #15
                              Sili,
                              No, what happens with the Oscar vote for technical things like sound and photography is this: First each member of the Acadamy gets sort of a instruction sheet telling them what to look for in each catagory, and for photography, they are told to only vote if they have seen the projected film versions of the candidates. What really happens is that a large number of members have only seen the films on the DVDs or VHS tapes that the Acadamy sends out, and they vote any way. Also, few people understand the difference between production design and the photography (in other words if the Production Designer designed a lush set, such as Moulin Rouge, the image from even average photography quite often looks stunning).

                              Comment

                              • George Bellefontaine
                                Moderator Emeritus
                                • Jan 2001
                                • 7637

                                #16
                                Bob, I too noticed the use of greens and yellows. It was very effective for this film.




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                                • David Meek
                                  Moderator Emeritus
                                  • Aug 2000
                                  • 8938

                                  #17
                                  Jonathon,

                                  Absolutely, this is a good buy!

                                  If you are so inclined, be sure to read the book by Mark Bowden. It's an excellent read and goes into more depth than the movie could. There have been several excellent military movies released since Black Hawk Down, like We Were Soldiers, Hart's War and Windtalkers but only We Were Soldiers came close to having the impact that this movie had on me.

                                  FWIW, my review of the film is here.




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                                  Last edited by David Meek; 10 April 2005, 20:40 Sunday. Reason: corrected link in post
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                                  • George Bellefontaine
                                    Moderator Emeritus
                                    • Jan 2001
                                    • 7637

                                    #18
                                    David-
                                    It was your review that got me all hyped up on this film. This is a treasured addition to my collection, and one that will see a lot of screen time in the Bellefontaine Home Theater.




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                                    • Lex
                                      Moderator Emeritus
                                      • Apr 2001
                                      • 27461

                                      #19
                                      I started to get this the other day, but then backed off. Maybe I will just wait on the SE. I dunno, first you guys were kind of talking off on it, so I thought I might wait... or just not get it. War movies are not my normal thing, just occasionally really.

                                      Lex
                                      Doug
                                      "I'm out there Jerry, and I'm loving every minute of it!" - Kramer

                                      Comment

                                      • Patt
                                        Senior Member
                                        • Feb 2005
                                        • 922

                                        #20
                                        I used to watch a lot of old war movies growing up and this one is my favorite. At least never having been in the service it seems real and up to date with what I see on the news. :k>
                                        ......Pat

                                        Comment

                                        • David Meek
                                          Moderator Emeritus
                                          • Aug 2000
                                          • 8938

                                          #21
                                          Technically, it was extremely accurate - as far as Hollywood could make it. That includes using actual 101st airborne troops to do the rope shots. Some things from the actual battle were left out "for continuity's sake".
                                          Last edited by David Meek; 12 April 2005, 22:37 Tuesday. Reason: spelling correction
                                          .

                                          David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

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                                          • theMaximus
                                            Senior Member
                                            • Jul 2004
                                            • 179

                                            #22
                                            Good movie and a superb sound quality. Buy the Superbit edition if possible. DTS track is worth the extra cost.
                                            Victory Shall Be Mine!!! :heh:

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