Before I get to the "review" of this film, seeing it has brought up a thought that I'd like to share with you. First off, this movie isn't for everyone - but I think most everyone, adults at least - should see it just once. . .
Whether you are an American, a Scotsman, Italian, German, Brazilian, Australian, Chinese, or where-ever you call home, take just a moment and think about the people that have served in the armed services of your countries. You may want to say thanks or not, you may know someone who served or not. Whatever your feelings toward the military, stop a moment and give a thought to those who have served, who have fought somewhere for you.
They deserve it.
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On to the movie!
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In an earlier thread, I expressed hope and concern that this movie would be treated with the respect the subject matter deserved. I should have saved my concern. This is an absolutelly excellent film of that tragic day in Mogadishu, Somalia in October of 1993. Visually and sonically, Ridley Scott (Alien, Bladerunner) has created a masterpiece of modern military operations and what happens when they go bad. The research and set-up that went into this film, which is based on the book by Mark Bowden, must have been monstrous in both scope and detail, and it shows in every shot.
The premise is: A group of US soldiers move into Mogadishu to capture two high-ranking commanders of the preiminent warlord in a snatch and grab operation. Due to bad luck, bad intelligence and lax preparation their 30-minute op goes awry and they find themselves surrounded and in a desperate battle with a horde of heavily armed Somalis.
The scenes range from the brightest midday sun which has a washed out almost monochromatic feel in places, to beautiful aerial sequences of the Blackhawks and Defenders flying over a crystalline ocean, to claustiphobic dust-filled landing zones in the middle of the city, to night inside a ruined building complete with layer upon layer of shadow. Even without words Scott can coax a tale from the visuals. The contrasts of the small dedicated high-tech force of US troops facing an unending mob of hungry, Soviet-equipped, hostile Somalis, the "eye in the sky" imagery vs communicating by burning tires and trash, all give a sense of two worlds apart with little chance of understanding.
The soundtrack is as aggressive as it needs to be - from quiet conversations to a continuous cascade of sounds in the surround channels during the combat scenes, which make up the majority of the film. The weapons - especially the rifles, pistols and SAWs (Squad Automatic Weapon) all have a realistic punch and timber. And, what can I say about helicopters in a surround sound system. . . truly awesome! With the proper transfer, this should be THE reference DVD when it's released! I know I'll be ordering mine the day it's available.
Now, as I said earlier, this movie is not for everyone! The story in itself is compelling, suspenseful and - be warned - very very violent - the combat scenes take up fully the last 2/3rds of the film. Three of the most intense are: 1 - a soldier trying to reattach a blown-off thumb, 2 - a soldier blown in half and writhing on the ground, 3 - a corpsman trying to staunch a bleeding wound by shoving his hand into it up to his wrist FWIW, I had specifically not read the book before seeing this movie and am glad I didn't. The film pulls you in and wraps you up for 2 hours and 23 minutes. When the ordeal was finished I sat there completely wrung out and silent. Other movies have made deep impressions on me, but none (including Saving Private Ryan) have left me feeling such a sense of exhaustion, strain and of you-are-there. Portions of the carnage in the book were omitted from the movie which IMO makes it a bit easier to watch and probably saved it from an NC-17 rating.
There are so many characters introduced at such a fast pace, it is hard to individualize many of them. This gives the impression of a lot of similar, almost faceless young men making up the squads of soldiers which I feel is deliberate. It gives the sense of the troops being an amalgm of all that make up the US (and other) military forces. There are several that you notice immediately though: Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor), Sam Sheppard (Swordfish, Purgatory, Thunderheart), Tom Sizemore (Pearl Harbor, Saving Private Ryan) and William Fitchner (Perfect Storm, Armageddon). They are anchors around which flow the other actors and the combat scenes. The pace varies from calm to frenetic snapshots flying by, which gives an authentic feel to the confused frantic battles in the maze-like city streets. This also adds to the sometimes faceless feel with many of the soldiers. One shot that DID strike me as somewhat contrived was after the op has nearly finished, when the general (Sam Sheppard) walks into the hospital and starts mopping up a puddle of blood. This may have really happened, but the feel of the scene just didn't work.
I did not get the sense that Scott tried to overtly "patriotize" this film. He did go to some lengths to stress the bond and the feeling of "leave no-one behind" between the Rangers and Delta Force in a combat situation but that is all. A few of the Somalis were given a "REALLY tough guy" persona, but were not made out to be super-villains. A couple of small scenes were even given over to suggesting (by the Somalis) why the Americans and other peace-keepers would not be able to resolve the civil war in Somalia.
Did I enjoy this movie? Yes, absolutely! Was it easy to watch? No, absolutely. Was it worth it? Yes again. I think this film should be seen by most everyone in order to get a small feeling of what a combat soldier endures and why we should credit each of them for having served. Even if you're just into a technically superior shootem' up and don't dwell on the messages of loss and sacrifice, it is one of the best I've ever seen. On a 1 to 10 scale, I give Blackhawk Down a 9+.
This as always, is just my 2 cents.
David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker
Whether you are an American, a Scotsman, Italian, German, Brazilian, Australian, Chinese, or where-ever you call home, take just a moment and think about the people that have served in the armed services of your countries. You may want to say thanks or not, you may know someone who served or not. Whatever your feelings toward the military, stop a moment and give a thought to those who have served, who have fought somewhere for you.
They deserve it.
************************************
On to the movie!
************************************
In an earlier thread, I expressed hope and concern that this movie would be treated with the respect the subject matter deserved. I should have saved my concern. This is an absolutelly excellent film of that tragic day in Mogadishu, Somalia in October of 1993. Visually and sonically, Ridley Scott (Alien, Bladerunner) has created a masterpiece of modern military operations and what happens when they go bad. The research and set-up that went into this film, which is based on the book by Mark Bowden, must have been monstrous in both scope and detail, and it shows in every shot.
The premise is: A group of US soldiers move into Mogadishu to capture two high-ranking commanders of the preiminent warlord in a snatch and grab operation. Due to bad luck, bad intelligence and lax preparation their 30-minute op goes awry and they find themselves surrounded and in a desperate battle with a horde of heavily armed Somalis.
The scenes range from the brightest midday sun which has a washed out almost monochromatic feel in places, to beautiful aerial sequences of the Blackhawks and Defenders flying over a crystalline ocean, to claustiphobic dust-filled landing zones in the middle of the city, to night inside a ruined building complete with layer upon layer of shadow. Even without words Scott can coax a tale from the visuals. The contrasts of the small dedicated high-tech force of US troops facing an unending mob of hungry, Soviet-equipped, hostile Somalis, the "eye in the sky" imagery vs communicating by burning tires and trash, all give a sense of two worlds apart with little chance of understanding.
The soundtrack is as aggressive as it needs to be - from quiet conversations to a continuous cascade of sounds in the surround channels during the combat scenes, which make up the majority of the film. The weapons - especially the rifles, pistols and SAWs (Squad Automatic Weapon) all have a realistic punch and timber. And, what can I say about helicopters in a surround sound system. . . truly awesome! With the proper transfer, this should be THE reference DVD when it's released! I know I'll be ordering mine the day it's available.
Now, as I said earlier, this movie is not for everyone! The story in itself is compelling, suspenseful and - be warned - very very violent - the combat scenes take up fully the last 2/3rds of the film. Three of the most intense are: 1 - a soldier trying to reattach a blown-off thumb, 2 - a soldier blown in half and writhing on the ground, 3 - a corpsman trying to staunch a bleeding wound by shoving his hand into it up to his wrist FWIW, I had specifically not read the book before seeing this movie and am glad I didn't. The film pulls you in and wraps you up for 2 hours and 23 minutes. When the ordeal was finished I sat there completely wrung out and silent. Other movies have made deep impressions on me, but none (including Saving Private Ryan) have left me feeling such a sense of exhaustion, strain and of you-are-there. Portions of the carnage in the book were omitted from the movie which IMO makes it a bit easier to watch and probably saved it from an NC-17 rating.
There are so many characters introduced at such a fast pace, it is hard to individualize many of them. This gives the impression of a lot of similar, almost faceless young men making up the squads of soldiers which I feel is deliberate. It gives the sense of the troops being an amalgm of all that make up the US (and other) military forces. There are several that you notice immediately though: Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor), Sam Sheppard (Swordfish, Purgatory, Thunderheart), Tom Sizemore (Pearl Harbor, Saving Private Ryan) and William Fitchner (Perfect Storm, Armageddon). They are anchors around which flow the other actors and the combat scenes. The pace varies from calm to frenetic snapshots flying by, which gives an authentic feel to the confused frantic battles in the maze-like city streets. This also adds to the sometimes faceless feel with many of the soldiers. One shot that DID strike me as somewhat contrived was after the op has nearly finished, when the general (Sam Sheppard) walks into the hospital and starts mopping up a puddle of blood. This may have really happened, but the feel of the scene just didn't work.
I did not get the sense that Scott tried to overtly "patriotize" this film. He did go to some lengths to stress the bond and the feeling of "leave no-one behind" between the Rangers and Delta Force in a combat situation but that is all. A few of the Somalis were given a "REALLY tough guy" persona, but were not made out to be super-villains. A couple of small scenes were even given over to suggesting (by the Somalis) why the Americans and other peace-keepers would not be able to resolve the civil war in Somalia.
Did I enjoy this movie? Yes, absolutely! Was it easy to watch? No, absolutely. Was it worth it? Yes again. I think this film should be seen by most everyone in order to get a small feeling of what a combat soldier endures and why we should credit each of them for having served. Even if you're just into a technically superior shootem' up and don't dwell on the messages of loss and sacrifice, it is one of the best I've ever seen. On a 1 to 10 scale, I give Blackhawk Down a 9+.
This as always, is just my 2 cents.
David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker
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