Black Hawk Down (2001)

Wonderful character development!

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Brutal in every sense of the word. Realistic and disturbing, the film left me feeling sick at times and I honestly could not stomach some of the scenes. The film actually brilliantly depicts the horrors of war, and a very good cast ensure credibility. This is one of those films (like Saving Private Ryan) that is so well made that I only want to see it once, since I won't stomach it a second time.

When i watch this movie awhile back, this film is epic not gonna lie. To this day i still kept coming back, watching it for a thousand times over since the release of it then up to the present day. But still "Black Hawk Down" remains 'the best war movie ever made" for those who are the first timers who wants to watch this movie, WATCH NOW! This movie technically, won't disappoint you.

I have one problem with "Black Hawk Down", and that is that it spreads itself a bit too thin. There are a LOT of characters in this movie, and while some of them do get fairly deep motivations and backstories, by the end of the film, I still had difficulty telling them apart. So if this review is light on specific character names, I want you to know why. Part of the difficulty of making a movie about a real-life story is figuring out just how accurate you can make it without losing the audience. For the most part, this film succeeds.Ridley Scott is a brilliant technical director and visual stylist. He knows how to stage action that is thrilling without being glamorous (can you imagine what Michael Bay would have done to this material?), and the editing and sound on this film are absolutely spectacular. The film deals with a failed U.S. military raid on a Somalian warlord who was preventing U.N. food shipments from reaching the poor and the needy. The time frame of the film is only a few days (I think), and that lends the whole movie a you-are-there quality that is essential to this kind of storytelling.There are a lot of recognizable faces in this film, but this is not a star-driven movie. Josh Hartnett gives just what is probably his best performance ever as an idealistic young squad leader. Ewan McGregor plays a glorified secretary who gets promoted to a proper foot soldier when the crap hits the fan. Tom Sizemore plays a no-nonsense commander who gradually watches the whole mission fail from a distance. Eric Bana shines as a seasoned soldier who, to some, seems to take almost too much pleasure in his work. Rounding out the cast are plenty of other talented people: Tom Hardy, Jason Isaacs, Ewen Bremner, Sam Shepard, William Fichtner, and more. This is a film that shines in its little moments. One soldier fires his gun too close to another's head, deafening him. Another steals through an occupied house where a mother sits huddled with her children to get away from the fighting on the street. A donkey wanders through dangerous territory, still hitched to a wagon. This is not the deepest war movie I've ever seen, but it makes its points with a relative minimum of speechifying and jingoism. (There are a few of those moments later on, but they feel mostly earned.) It stands up to repeat viewings, too, which is kind of rare for a movie based on real events. There are moments where I wish this film had dug a little deeper under its characters' skin, but then again, it might have sacrificed tension in doing so. And if there's one thing that this movie is, it's gripping. I was not in the least surprised to hear "The Minstrel Boy" over the end credits. That song sums up the movie fairly well.

This film was one of my favorite films growing up as a child. Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down hits close to home as I grew up in Fort Campbell, Kentucky home of the 101st Airborne division. Mostly all of the people involved in the incident were from that base including my father who served in Mogadishu, Somalia. I remember seeing the film as a child and being blown away with the visual effects and sound. I have always been keen the quality of film. Meaning cinematography and sound editing have been one of the most important parts of making a film and Black Hawk Down hits the nail on the head. Scott has always been an amazing film director and he always manages to choose the best cinematographers and film editors on the market. With this film winning two Oscars it has proved to be one of the best war films ever made. When it comes to cinematography and film editing, it is the most important element in a film. It can seriously make your film or damage it. I have seen films like Open Water or 50 Shades of Grey (or 50 Shades of Crap) that had poor editing and camera work. In the film Black Hawk Down, the camera work is above par. The brilliant movement makes the viewer believe that he is actually in Mogadishu. And with its Oscar winning editing the film makes you believe that you can actually be getting shot at. As a Marine Corps combat wounded veteran it is very difficult to watch films that can trigger flash backs and unwanted dark memories. There is a reason I don't normally watch war films. But this film has always been a classic for me and my family. The story is not as beautiful as one would want but it is beautiful how the camera makes it. War can sometimes be beautiful. It was sad to see people you knew get injured so severely. But I guess that's what drove me to joining the armed forces. I love to fight. And the will that was presented in this captivating film only gave me the inspiration to fight for my country as well. Yes, films are inspiring whether they are real or fake. Ridley Scott has taken a true life disaster and turned it into Hollywood magic. One of my favorite scenes is the scene where Josh Hartnett's character Eversmann is trying to save his buddy's life in some make shift table. The soldier was shot in the leg. The bullet hit a main artery and his attempt to stop the bleeding makes the viewer believe that he is actually in the room as well. The camera does a magnificent job in producing a realistic environment for the viewer. This is what real cinematography and film editing is all about. Making the viewer believe. In conclusion, this film has changed my life. With the decisions I made as a young Marine, this film has played an influence on how I wanted to carry out my Marine Corps career. With balls of steel. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to watch this film and also to be affected by the film to this day. The camera work and editing has motivated me to either go into cinematography or editing as a career. Scott continues to influence people around the world with amazing directorial skills. One can only be grateful to catch a glimpse of his work.