Fast-paced, action-packed but flawed.

Rating: 6/10 (21 January 2002)

World War II, Vietnam, The Gulf War. The great conflicts of the second half of the 20th Century, and for many years the constant focus of Hollywood War movies good and bad. The 1993 American incursion into war-torn Somalia however, does not fit into this list - more American soldiers were killed by friendly fire during the Gulf War than during the incident which is the focus of Black Hawk Down. This was basically a massacre, in which a botched US mission led to the deaths of over 1000 Somalis. That Ridley Scott can turn this into a story of the bravery and courage of the American armed forces is incredible.
Watching this outside the US and therefore immune to the post-9/11 patriotic onslaught lends a far more objective analysis to this film. Despite the obvious American bias in the movie's point of view, I was never convinced of the Americans' cause, either in the mission focused on or the Somalia conflict itself. No doubt the book explains it better, but the film does not even try, and we are given only the briefest of mission overviews at the beginning, leaving you wondering just what they were trying to achieve.
My initial criticism aside, as a war movie this often excels, and its breakneck pace leaves you no time to stop and think. The feel of it is classic Ridley Scott - an urban wasteland, with decay and ruin apleanty. Almost immediately it becomes futile to try and keep track of all the characters, so you simply sit back and immerse yourself in the action. Though it lacks the plot of the classic War movies, Black Hawk Down does offer action on an unprecedented scale, and hardly slows down over the entire two hours.
The fact that we so quickly lose track of the characters effectively makes the 45 minute introduction sequence entirely pointless, and you can't help but feel that a quick 15 minute introduction would have served better.

Don't get me wrong, Black Hawk Down is not a bad film, but is is by no means the classic that many make it out to be. You cannot help but feel that if Ridley Scott had picked a more suitable subject for a heroic war film then this could have been very good, however when the post-9/11 effect finally lifts, and this is compared to the likes of Saving Private Ryan and Apocalypse Now, it will not stand up to them for a second.