Henry and Greta saw Black Hawk down

Rating: 5/10 (14 May 2013)

"So Black Hawk is the name for the helicopter that is shot down and Black Hawk Down is something like an alert? " Greta brushed her shoulder length hair, painted black and white. She had to do it by touch as the light in the garage they had turned into a movie-theater, was still turned off. Henry flipped the switch and for a moment Greta was blinded.
"And when that happens all hell breaks loose, because they have to rescue the crew from those Africans. And so they get bogged down in war for survival. That is why the general says they lost the initiative." Henry nodded.
"Those Somalians were pretty angry." Greta remarked, "I mean it says about a thousand of them died compared to twenty of the US and UN troops. That is like fifty for every one of them. Wouldn't you stop assaulting if you see so many of your people being killed?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. Our troops were the best. So it was ragtag bands assaulting crack troops. You can see it in the movie, they shoot a lot, but they almost never hit anything. And if they hit something it seems accidental."
"Then they were pretty lucky shooting those helicopters down. They even have a hard time shooting those rockets at static targets like the downed helicopter or those guys in the buildings. Imagine the luck they must have had in hitting the tail of a moving helicopter."
"It might be very lucky, but that is not what the movie is about. The movie is about a group of soldiers getting stuck in a nasty situation. Despite their differences and anxieties they work together to survive and make it out alive." Henry said.
"It reminds me a bit about that charge of the light brigade. You know where an English cavalry unit charges a line of artillery across a valley occupied by enemy troops and get all but vanquished. It was a Glorious Defeat, as they say. "
"Maybe it was one, but it showed our troops could kick balls even when they didn't get the means. They had no tanks for instance because the government didn't want to give them any."
"That killing made the movie a bit long in the tooth. Scott can make nice visuals, but after a while I lost track of who was who and where. Soldiers seems so much alike in a gritty movie. I also missed information about the context. " Greta said.
"Like what?"
"Like why did those Somalians attack and why did they keep on attacking g?. And why were the troops there. Why all this hatred? And why did that one general not know that the other general was in the city?"
"I think they just wanted to focus on the fighting and the comrade-in-arms mood."
"And why were there so many Somalians dead? And why did those Pakistani troops in the armored trucks leave those soldiers on foot behind?"
"I don't know."
"I read that the Pakistani general and the Malaysian commander where quite annoyed at how they are shown in the movie. They say they had a far bigger role in the fighting than they are given in movie and suffered losses too. It almost looks that they ride in and then hightail it out of town leaving those others behind."
"Well, it's more about the US troops." Henry shrugged.
"I even read the comment of one of the soldiers of that other US unit. He was a bit miffed about their unit being depicted as lackluster and not doing their part."
"That happens at times. Sometimes the story of one overshadows those of others."
"But the final effect is never told. I read a story what the effect was of this battle on the US foreign policy."
"Which was?"
"Soon after the US army stopped involving themselves in international humanitarian aid actions. The only reason US troops got deployed was as part of the War on Terrorism. When they could make a difference they were too afraid for another Black Hawk down. "
"Someone finally got what he wanted." Henry said.
To that Greta could only agree.