Very real, not as intense as I was expecting

Rating: 8/10 (19 February 2002)

Black Hawk Down has arrived and I must say that I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting there to be lots of running, lots of explosions, and most importantly, lots of gunfire. To be sure, these things are abound in this film, but not to the point where you are exhausted after watching it. The film is well acted, but the dialogue fits with your standard war movie (i.e. "Tell my wife/son/daughter/pet I love them"). The military paraphenelia is all very accurate and the sound effects dead on, but I was never pulled in. The action was never frenzied; streets are often empty and hundreds of Somalis with AK-47s wait their turn to fire, it seems. Overall, a good war film, but it lacks the sheer chaos and panic that made Saving Private Ryan unforgettable.