Despite a very biased perspective, what this does very well is show how people of differing opinions of what should be done work together (and how, at time, this cooperation is against ones will), and how ignorance at the top, and general overconfidence will often lead to disappointing results.
A lot of people claim that this is one of the best war movies ever made, but I take a different tact. I quite honestly found it boring and flat. I never once cared about any of the characters in it at all. Overrated movie from an overrated director (even though Blade Runner and Alien are so of my favorite movies ever).
At times it was like watching someone a play modern warfare computer game. Good action sequences. But again, another pointless waste of life. 1000 Somalis died and 19 American soldiers. For what?
Abysmal. Scott forgoes character development in the favour of giving us a "realistic" look into the American side of a major conflict. While this could potentially work, uninspired direction and idiotic writing make Black Hawk Down a trying experience to sit through. Occasionally felt like propaganda for the US military.
You can definitely look at it that way. There is very little character development, much more of the film is focused on visual elements, but it's a masterpiece in that regard - the mise-en-scene is great for a war film, especially compared to the next year's hammy WE WERE SOLDIERS. Will continue this discussion on Facebook.
I'd say I expected more out of Ridley Scott, but after seeing Body of Lies, Robin Hood, and American Gangster, I really don't. He assembles a huge, incredibly talented cast…and then removes their characters of all personality so that they're essentially interchangeable. He could've saved a lot of money by just casting extras; there'd be no difference.
a really fantastic piece of film. the respect and love which went into the memory of this event is clear. the acting and script are both first class, and the dark world view goes against the cliches which plague war movies so often. the ending prevent the film from becoming a masterpiece, but with a superb cast, this movie is one of the best presentations of modern war.
On the cover of my DVD of this there is a quotation saying "one of the most realistic war films ever made". It sticks to the historical side of things very, very well apparently (I'm not too familiar with the actual events) but notice how every single bullet an American fires hits a Somali. Like they are magnetic or something. A pretty average film.
Some pretty great moments here but also muddled and unfocused. Bana's final monologue is awesome.
One of the most brutal films about war ever made, Black Hawk Down is an excellent portrayal of urban combat from one side. It gets a lot of flack for only showing the American side and downplaying the loss of lives on the Somalis, but that is the point of the movie. Scott puts us into the movie with the American troops for the entire battle.
