Black Hawk Down

Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Sam Shepard.
MPAA Rating: R for intense, realistic, graphic war violence, and for language.

Review by Eugene Kopman <eugene@filmhead.com>
February 13, 2002

This is the first time I have ever left a Jerry Bruckheimer film and said "Wow!" I don't know how he managed to get his hands on this script, but hopefully he will keep picking scripts like Black Hawk Down and not crap like Coyote Ugly, Pearl Harbor, or Gone in 60 Seconds. Unlike those films, this one will be remembered as one of the best war films ever. Ridley Scott directs this war epic, which takes place in Somalia in October of 1993.

One hundred and twenty-three U.S. troops consisting of Delta Forces and U.S. Rangers were sent into Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to capture two lieutenants of the Somalian warlord. An operation that, originally, was to take an hour, took about fourteen. At the end of the operation, nineteen U.S. soldiers were dead. Their inability to escape was due to the two "Black Hawk" helicopters, which were gunned down by the Somalians.

Ridley Scott used aerial shots to show exactly where the action took place and the problems that arose during the battle, helping to explain what was happening on the screen. Close-ups showed the gore of the fight, the likes of which has not been seen since Saving Private Ryan.

The onscreen war was breathtakingly realistic. The struggle of the American troops, constantly surrounded and at every moment fearing for their death, and the death of the men next to them, was heart-wrenching. A credit goes to the entire cast, and the hundreds of extras, for their portrayal of the battle to leave no one behind, when circumstances were commanding otherwise. This is an amazing war movie that should not be missed and is definitely one of the best films of 2001.

Here's some merchandise for sale at

Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden	-- Hardcover
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden	-- Paperback
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden	-- Audio Cassette (read by Joe Morton)
Black Hawk Down: Soundtrack	-- Compact Disc

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