An Objective Look at a Heroic Disaster

Rating: 10/10 (9 February 2005)

It is hard not to get emotional after watching this film. The heroism and courage displayed by the Rangers and Delta team members is the stuff of legends. They were men that risked their lives, not for their President or their country, but for each other. In the end, I guess that is why soldiers do give up their lives in wars and battles, so their comrades won't lose theirs.
In the early 1990s the world was outraged by the human rights abuses going on in Somalia. War Lords were stealing UN food supplies while their own people, women and children, starved. The US and other nations believed that military action was the right thing to do. It is hard to fault them for it. However, what Somalia showed us, was that best intentions can go wrong. So often, we intervene in the hopes of doing good. However, many times the people we are there to help, do not perceive it that way. An interesting thing to ponder now, as many in the world chastise the US for not having involved itself in the genocide of Rwanda.
Although I had doubts when I saw Bruckheimer and Ridley Scott's name on this project, it is a real drama. Yes, there is plenty of action (tons), but the action is not Hollywood thrills, but rather in keeping with the story. I also feel that the movie makers did present the side of the Mogadishu militia. We understand why they were shooting at Americans and can respect that they were coming from a different perspective, not necessarily the wrong perspective.
In summary, this film shows that no soldiers have ever died for a mistake, be it Vietnam, Somalia or Iraq. They die for each other and there is an honor attached to that which few will ever understand.