The most realistic war film of our time but not necessarily the best

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2007)

Black Hawk Down is one of those rare films where you don't any of the characters. You don't know where they're coming from, you don't know there names, but they're there. The only other film I know like this is United 93.
This is a problem for Black Hawk Down. While most likely being the most realistic and accurate war film of our time, not knowing who the characters are leaves you unflinched when someone important dies. There was only character where I felt only a hint of sadness for, and I didn't even know his name.
Another problem is action. Honestly, there is too much action in the film. It's non-stop, not giving any time to flesh out any characters. You actually wish for a moment of peace but any of these moments are probably 30 seconds in length. I like how all the action came together, but there was just too much for my taste.
On a positive note, all performances were believable. Even the Samalians, who were most likely no more than paid extras, were highly believable and you can feel a hatred growing for their monstrous behavior in the film. You can feel the savageness of their actions through gruesome images and the way they pursue the men of Black Hawk Down.
Like I said, the film was realistic, even more so than Saving Private Ryan. This gets it a lot of points, and is one of the main reasons I liked the film.
Overall, the film is entertaining but its hard to feel emotion for characters that die and none of them are fleshed out. Enjoyable, but not great. 7.1/10.