Black Hawk Down

Pros: Story, Direction, Photography, Acting, Sound Effects, Score
Cons: None

"War is cruelty; you cannot refine it." William Tecumseh Sherman I just got back from viewing Black Hawk Down and one thing I noted was there was very little conversation going on during the picture. To me this means that either everyone ...

Pros: Strong cast, compelling story
Cons: As Plato said, "Only the dead have seen the end of war"

The last two years have been a busy period for director Ridley Scott. First came “Gladiator,” which won the Best Picture at last year’s Oscars. Then came “Hannibal,” the much-awaited sequel to the Oscar winner, “The Silence Of The Lambs.” Now comes...

Pros: It's as accurate as a Hollywood movie can be about a true story.
Cons: It's as graphic as Saving Private Ryan, but it's not about a victory.

There is a story I read somewhere -- Time magazine, more than likely -- that as the crisis in Iraq was nearing critical mass, Saddam Hussein passed out copies of Black Hawk Down on DVD and/or VHS to members of the Saddam Fedayeen militia, not as ...

Pros: War Scenes, Graphics, Sound Effects
Cons: Character Development, Dialogue, Inaccurate Depictions***

Wow, it seems that most of the movies that are debuting on the scene throughout North America carry the same theme. That idea being one of war; and by golly it isn't pretty. Out of the past 5 movies I have viewed in theatres, 3 of those involved ...

Pros: Gripping, realistic view of war
Cons: Not for the squeamish

War is hell. How often have we heard that phrase? Sometimes it is so portrayed as in moments of Saving Private Ryan. At other times, we are given poetic views of man's insane desire to kill his fellow creatures (A Thin Red Line). War has been...

Pros: A gutsy and poignant war movie; great cinematography; effects; realism.
Cons: sketchy character details; oversimplification

C’est la guerre.

Right from the start, on a black screen, we see the words “Based on an actual event”, printed to remind us that what we are about to see is all too real and an unfortunate part of our history. We then see upsetting images of...

Pros: Someone told this true story about the Army Rangers in Somalia.
Cons: None

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Directed by Ridley Scott
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Ridley Scott

Josh Hartnett as SSG Matt Eversmann
Tom Sizemore as LT COL Danny McKnight
Eric Bana as SFC...

Pros: A brutally realistic depiction of war and all its horrors.
Cons: Barely adequate character development.

Believe it or not, I actually missed seeing Black Hawk Down when it was showing in theaters. I had heard so many good things about it that I eagerly anticipated its DVD release date. When I acquired the DVD, I certainly was not disappointed!!...

Pros: Absolutely riveting cinema
Cons: Very, VERY violent, probably a bit much for some; fictionalized accounts

Man, I really wanted to see this flick, and when it hit the theaters last weekend, I was thrilled. I live in a (relatively) small town that gets next to none of the new movies released, and I swear I was going to b!tch someone out if we didn't get this...

Pros: Amazing scenery. Action-packed. Typical Ridley Scott style.
Cons: Unrealistic at times. Some woeful acting.

I’ve decided to throw my hat into the ring on Black Hawk Down, the film adaptation of Mark Bowden’s book of the same name. With a few hours to kill this afternoon, I slipped into the cinema to view it. I ventured in and took my seat not really knowing...

Pros: Great cast, tons of action
Cons: One field surgery scene is tough to watch

Black Hawk Down is to 90s-era war movies as Saving Private Ryan is to WWII-era war movies. It is based on the true story of an incident that happened in Somalia in the early 90's. A group of Army Rangers is sent in to take out a warlord who is starving...

Pros: Brilliantly directed, brutally realistic.
Cons: Not for the faint of heart.

Black Hawk Down is one of the most stark, brutal and realistic war movies ever made. That, and it's the best "First Person Shooter" adaptation ever made. I didn't know whether to cheer, cry or lunge for my Playstation controller.

...

Pros: "Gritty", uncompromising action.
Cons: No real character or plot development.

I have to admit, I started watching this film thinking it was going to be yet another generic “horrors of war” one, full of mindless violence and cheesy camaraderie, merely transplanted to a modern-day environment to lend it a semblance of...

Pros: Brilliantly realistic war scenes.
Cons: Zero character development.

Y'know what I think? Don't really matter what I think. Once that first bullet goes past your head, politics and all that shit just goes right out the window.-Eric Bana in Black Hawk Down That's the overall point of Black Hawk Down: that ...

Pros: Excellent depiction of battle, no stupid love story, power ballads.
Cons: Violence.

Everyone knows that war is hell, even if it is undeclared. A bunch of mostly young men trek off with shaved heads and automatic weapons to shoot first and ask questions later. Some are scared, completely. Some are tough men who never want the battle...