A film that delights, disgusts and delivers on many levels...

Rating: Null/10 (19 January 2002)

Ridley Scott delivers a gritty, realistic, raw, graphic and mesmerizing tale in the Bruckheimer produced 'Black Hawk Down'. This modern war epic is an effective and thoroughly surreal take on an actual Military operation that unsuccessfully took place in 1993. Scott assembles an ensemble cast with both unknown and familiar faces as he traces back the events that occurred in Mogadishu. In what was supposed to be a routine operation estimated at no longer than 60 minutes, it turned out to last more than 15 hours and is gruesomely immortalized in what is the next step in the art of War on Film. Comparisons will certainly be made to that 'other' war film directed by America's most accomplished filmmaker, 'Saving Private Ryan'. It is imperative to note that despite the films' similarities in themes, their style, aggressiveness and content is completely different. It is known that Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan' contained some emotional moments and some tense battle scenes, but in what is one of the most noticeable traits in 'BHD' is its' surrealism. This film transposes the viewer directly into the mindset of a soldier fearing for the end of his life, and thus fighting for it. Scott's film analyzes an unseen extremity of the war spectrum and casts a whole new take on what could have been a tired tale. It brings us right into a dangerous, fearful and intense world where nothing is predictable and lives can and will be lost in a heartbeat.
Due to the success both critically and commercially of Scott's recent films, he has recently resurfaced into the Hollywood scene as a major Power player for the first time. With 'Gladiator' he showed the world he hadn't forgotten how to make a great film, and with 'Hannibal' he showed us he still could frighten. Anyone remember 'Alien'? With 'BHD', he displays a convocational attitude under the watchful eye of Producer Bruckheimer and conveys a raw and sometimes stomach turning look at the events that transpired in 1993. Within a half hour, our characters are introduced, our sets are laid out and the mission is a reality that is ready to seep through the screens and onto the discerning viewer's watchful eye as all the elements of a great film are assembled to create a truly powerful and unforgettable film. Bearing in slight tone to Bruckheimer's past 'heavy' films such as 'The Rock' and 'Armageddon', the film departs from a 'popcorn-existentialist' viewpoint and transposes the viewer directly into this battlefield that dazzles, disgusts and delivers on many levels. It is easy to see that Scott steered the ship cleanly on this project. Where as in previous Bruckheimer films, there was always a similarity in style despite a change in director - note: 'Con Air'. Here, we see Scott's delightful style protrude the screen as he reunites with Film Editor Pietro Scalia for some seamless 'cutting' and uses his musical composer Hans Zimmer for some ambient music to convey and capture the immorality and horror of the events in the film. From severed thumbs, to severed heads, to severed bodies, Scott makes no attempt at masking the brutality and bloodiness of that ground battle with his shaky Handheld Shots and grainy filters that is unequivocally brought to the screen. The film is fierce, and furthermore it is hyper-realistic. This can be experienced as we actually feel for these characters and their misery, as they lie on the ground alone, getting beaten to death in front of hundreds of Somali militia. We see their dreams and aspirations crumble as many never made it out alive. Besides these qualities, there were two outstanding qualities that must be underlined that serve as catalysts into another stratum of filmmaking.
The first of which is Scott's pervasive shooting style where he captures the majestic fierceness of the epic battle scenes with an unglamorzied eye. The film does not glorify war violence, nor condone it. It stays neutral and captures simply what was in an appropriate and respectful manner in all its' sheer rawness. Furthermore, what struck me to a further extent were the scenes that held the film together. When helicopters were not hovering above and when live ammunition was not being fired on a consistent basis that is when the film's true center shone through. The film's nucleus was the human contact between these soldiers. The intimate and indescribable bond developed between these men who were so bravely fighting for their lives and each other can be seen and felt many times in the film. Despite all the tension, despite all the severed body parts, Scott brought us for a close view of the war through a soldier's eyes, and made us understand what the war was really about, to quote 'Hoots' character in the film, `War is about the man next to you.it isn't about being a hero'.
Giancarlo's Rating: *** (out of four)