No One Gets Left Behind

Rating: Null/10 (19 November 2002)

Director Ridley Scott re-creates the true story of the war between American troops and the Somali Militia. This realistic film captures the devastating Battle of Mogadishu. Black Hawk Down kept me on the edge of my seat with action packed scenes with bloody, graphic details. The movie stars an excellent cast including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Sizemore. Josh Hartnett plays the chalk leader Sergeant Eversman, the idealist likes the Somalis. Ewan McGregor, as Grimes, is the man who sits behind the desk and makes coffee. Because another Ranger is hurt, Grimes is sent in his place on the mission as the scared, inexperienced, new guy. Tom Sizemore plays the tough and fearless Lt. Col. McKnight, the leader of the convoy. On October 3, 1993, one hundred twenty Rangers and Delta Units were sent on a mission to kidnap two Somali Warlords. The two men are lieutenants of Mohamed Aidid, who is the leader of the Somali Militia and the cause of the starvation of over 300,000 civilians. This capture is supposed to be a quick extraction, taking only thirty minutes, but ends up turning into a deadly fifteen hours. The Rangers and Deltas enter the Bakara Market where they are met by hundreds of armed militia. Two Black Hawk Choppers are shot down in the city, almost all of the men with the convoy are injured, and the groups of soldiers are spread all over the city. The convoy has to keep returning to base and there are seriously injured men going back to battle to make sure `No one gets left behind'. Now their real mission is like First Class `Hoot' Gibson says, `...it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.' All the men who fought in the war returned as heroes. Eversman says, `No one asks to be a hero, it just sometimes turns out that way.' This is a must see film. It could be considered one of the greatest war movies ever created. Its realistic scenes kept me entertained all the way through its two-hundred and eleven minutes. Most people would enjoy the film, especially if you are in to war movies.