Movie Review — Black Hawk Down

Ridley Scott, the director of Hannibal and Gladiator, has made an unforgettable turn with the punishing, visceral Black Hawk Down. This scarring war picture unfolds with horrific realism as it looks at what lurks behind enemy lines. Though lacking the drama and depth of films like Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line, this often brutal cinematic experience of a mission accomplished with heroism also has some relevance considering the new war against terrorism in a faraway land like Afghanistan.

Black Hawk Down is taken from Mark Bowden's hard-hitting book of the same name, which has much to say about the efforts of the U.S. Delta Force squadron in Somalia in October 1993 during the Battle of Mogadishu.

Scott thrusts to the foreground the situation in which dozens were wounded and 18 Americans were killed without detailing the people involved. The emphasis on what needed to be done surprisingly results in a gritty, gripping movie, carried out through masterful technical work and the capable ensemble, who seem to thrive on a team ethic.

With the parameters set on a UN peacekeeping mission similar to one seen in the more broadly patriotic Behind Enemy Lines, Sam Shepard is quite effective as Gen. William Garrison, who gives Black Hawk Down his emotional insight into a frightening debacle. This mission to take the top leaders of Somalian Chief Mohammed Farrah Aidid lasted almost 15 hours after two choppers were downed and ground forces were hit, effecting frenetic firefights. With its searing battle sequences, Black Hawk Down rarely wanes as it proves draining, while immersing the viewer in what the elite force was up against amid the graduating chaos engulfing them.

Through smart cutting and strong work with his editors and cinematographer, Scott visually creates hell from a variety of vantage points that add dimension to what is going on in the air and on the ground. Others are at bay, watching video of the terribly violent and disorienting events in this most unusual, even surreal kind of war zone.

The actors know that they can't rise to the level of the intensity of the combat at hand, yet performers like Josh Hartnett and Tom Sizemore, both of Pearl Harbor, show a physical presence and commitment to the dynamics of an unexpected calamity. Even others like Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor and William Fichtner, less distinguishable than usual, instill the necessary professionalism into a group that is less vivid than the harrowing conflict in Mogadishu.

But the big astonishment is how a Jerry Bruckheimer production packs such a wallop, as the power and gravity of Black Hawk Down is felt through the commanding, accomplished direction of Scott. He makes a failed rescue mission resonate in a way that almost makes it seem like it wasn't a real-life disastrous conflict. This very successful collaboration between producer and director doesn't allow for any distractions that would have glamorized the bloody, ultra-realistic depiction in a scary Somalia.