Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down

Director: Ridley Scott

Year: 2001

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Sam Shepard, Eric Bana and William Fichtner

     Black Hawk Down is the beginning of the modern war movie era, and this is the perfect film to usher in said era. War movies taking place during other times, like World War 2 and Vietnam are still made, but they become less frequent as the interest has moved to a modern setting. This film paved the way for other war films like The Hurt Locker, Jarhead and Zero Dark Thirty. 

     The film was directed by veteran filmmaker Ridley Scott (who also released Hannibal the same year) and depicts the American attempt to stop the Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in 1993. What makes this film stand out is the fact that the entire operation isn't glamourized in the typical Hollywood-style. In fact, it ends rather unhappily. The mission ultimately failed, and the filmmakers didn't hide that fact, something that American war movies don't usually do. Don't let that take your experience away, it is still a very well made movie.

     The film features a rather large ensemble cast, many of whom weren't box-office draws or big name stars at the time. Orlando Bloom, Ioan Gruffudd, Tom Hardy, Ron Eldard and Sons of Anarchy star Kim Coates all make appearances in the film. That's one of the strongest elements the film has: the cast. Every major character gets enough screen time that you feel like you know them before the mission, and as a result, it hits you harder when the supposed "30 minute mission" goes south, and all hell breaks loose. When soldiers start getting injured or killed, you really sympathize with them and root for their survival. It's a surprisingly 

emotional film. 

     The battle sequences are above average, and Ridley Scott's effects team works their magic. The first half of the film builds up to the inevitable mission break down, and it makes the combat scenes unexpected and uneasy, something the soldiers themselves must have felt. The combat is both tight in small areas and wide open, and every edit cuts to a different set of characters that are part of a different unit, giving out many different perspectives on the action taking place. 

     Black Hawk Down is a well made modern war film. The characters stay with you, the story is both tragic and emotional, and the combat scenes deliver on what the film promises.