Black Hawk Down

In 1993, The United States sent the Rangers and Delta Force into Somalia to capture the warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid for seizing food and aid shipments that were meant for the civilians. What was supposed to be an hour-long operation was turned upside down when two Black Hawk attack choppers were shot down over Mogadishu. The choppers were piloted by CWO Cliff Wolcott and CWO Michael Durant. Wolcott was killed on impact and Durant was captured by enemy forces. What was supposed to be a simple raid turned into a fight for survival against an entire city aimed at killing every single American soldier that set foot in the Bakara Market. The whole operation was led by Major General William Garrison, who wound up accepting full responsibility for the outcome of the raid. Black Hawk Down was based on the book written by Mark Bowden which chronicled the raid. Directed by legendary director Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down was released to theaters in 2001 and was nominated for several Academy Awards, and won two of them: One for best editing and one for Best Sound.

Black Hawk Down opens as Delta Operators pounce on a particular target associated with Mohammed Farah Aidid, Osman Atto(George Harris), who ends up being interrogated by General Garrison(Sam Shepard). Turns out, a group of Aidid's lieutenants are holding a meeting somewhere in the city, and by capturing them, the US forces will be closer to capturing the warlord. The ground forces, commanded by LT. Colonel Daniel McKnight(Tom Sizemore)are to secure the surrounding area while Delta Force, headed by Lt Colonel Garry Harrell(Zelijko Ivanek) are to infiltrate the building and capture the enemy soldiers. As the teams are about to leave, armed Somalis shoot down the Black Hawk piloted by CWO Wolcott(Jeremy Piven). McKnight tells his second-in-command, Captain Steele(Jason Isaacs)to find and secure the crash site. Steele takes a small group of Rangers, which include SSGT. Matt Eversman(Josh Hartnett), Specialist John Grimes(Ewan McGregor), Specialist Lance Twombly(Tom Hardy), and SPC Shawn Nelson(Ewen Bremner). Eversman's group ends up getting split up from the convoy and Captain Steele, but manage to locate the crashed chopper. Shortly afterwards, a second chopper is shot down. This one piloted by CW3 Michael Durant(Ron Eldard). In a race against time to secure both crash sites, the US forces fight for their lives in one of the most intense close combat situation in US History since the Vietnam War.

Black Hawk Down boasts one of the largest ensemble casts of any war movie I've ever seen. Jason Isaacs, Ewan McGregor, Josh Hartnett, William Fichtner, Eric Bana, Jeremy Piven, Tom Sizemore, and Sam Shepard to start with. This movie also showcased some of the up-and-comers like Orlando Bloom and Tom Hardy. The acting caliber is top-notch. While a couple of the characters are fictional, most of the actors play the soldiers that were actually in Somalia at the time. Also, Black Hawk Down, being based on true events, is very gritty and realistic in terms of combat and how soldiers behave during intense situations. The film was supervised by Michael Durant, who was captured by Somali forces and held for 11 days, before being released. As a result, there's an air of authenticity to the film, which makes it more intense. The combat scenes in Black Hawk Down are extremely intense and at times extremely bloody. But, like Saving Private Ryan, the purpose of having such violent scenes is to show the audience that war is very ugly and brutal, and there are casualties on all sides.

Black Hawk Down had a limited release in December of 2001, and eventually had its wide release on January 18, 2002. For the most part, the film was well-received, except by the folks in Somalia, who claim that there's serious elements of racism in the film. I personally didn't see it. The film is very well-paced and doesn't feel like it drags. Some critics claim that there isn't much in the way of characterization, and to a certain extent, they are correct. But I don't think that's a weakness of the film. I think because the whole getting-to-know-the-soldiers routine while probably would've been interesting, I think it would have slowed the film down. This being a Jerry Bruckheimer production, there is a certain style to the film which makes it chaotic. Ridley Scott's direction helps keep the film contained and focused. The score, produced by Hans Zimmer, helps provide the emotion, by not being bombastic like you hear in so many action films, but it's subdued and Zimmer collaborated with several other people, which gives the soundtrack a unique and varied flavor.

There's a recurring theme in most modern war movies after Saving Private Ryan. The theme is that the soldiers that fight in a war are not just following orders, but look out for each other as well. As one of the characters in Black Hawk Down states, "Most people won't understand, that it's about the guy next to you." That theme helps make for a more emotionally compelling experience.

For as long as mankind has been on earth, we've been fighting and killing each other for one reason or another, be it for oil, land or what have you. Wars have consequences, on a personal and economic level. Some reasons don't make sense. As for why we were in Somalia, the official word is that the civil war in Somalia had caused the deaths of more than 300,000 civilians. We went in to remove one of the warlords responsible, and wound up in one of the most intense firefights in US history. 19 American soldiers lost their lives, and the Somalis suffered approximately over 1,000. Two Delta Force snipers, SFC Randy Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon were inserted near the second crash site, and were killed defending it. Because of their bravery, they were posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor, the highest level of commendation that anyone can receive. Two weeks after Durant was released, President Clinton ordered The Rangers and Delta Force out of Somalia. In 1996, Mohammed Farah Aidid was killed. General Garrison retired the following day. I honestly don't think I can stress just how important it is to recognize the soldiers that have given their lives in combat so that others can live. US soldiers across the world put their lives on the line everyday, and I think it's a great disservice to ignore them. We may not always agree as to why our soldiers are there, but they should be supported regardless.

Overall, Black Hawk Down is an intense war movie and anyone remotely interested in the genre should check it out. While it's not a perfect film, I think it's effective and very compelling. I give it a 9/10.