Top-notch war film and one of Ridley Scott's best

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2015)

Gripping, exciting and downright dramatic, this war drama from Ridley Scott is another notch in the director's blossoming career (following on from the disappointing HANNIBAL). Scott handles both the drama and action with flair and skill and the result is an epic-feeling movie which, following on from SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, shows you what war is really all about. Forget the long-gone days of cinema where soldiers never got dirty and war was glamourised to the extreme; this is a film that puts you right into the thick of the action, making you feel like you're actually taking part in the battle. The realism is thick and at the end of the film you feel exhausted so you know the work has paid off.
Technically, the film is excellent, with fine action choreography and some great camera angles that are up close and personal. The various CGI effects are used to heighten the realism of the drama, but the main thing is that you never feel like you're watching CGI, so they are effective in the utmost. The film is bleak, violent and also extremely gory in places, so only strong stomachs need apply. A cast loaded with faces fill out their roles respectively and make you feel for the various characters – in particular William Fichter, Jason Isaacs, Kim Coates, Tom Sizemore and Ewen Bremner give fine performances, as well as the more famous leads. BLACK HAWK DOWN is a classic and exciting war film, utilising state-of-the-art technology to make it even more intense than before. Check this one out.