A very effective, visceral film

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2003)

When I first heard about this film I was dubious about how Hollywood would approach it. I was a little more assured seeing as it was Ridley Scott at the helm; however Hollywood portrayal of historical events has often left a lot to be desired. It was only after seeing the film on several occasions that I realised that the film itself was much more about what was happening to the characters themselves, and therefore I would argue deserves to be seen in a different light to "historical" films. The visual filming is incredibly realistic and intense and Ridley Scott really gets the most out of his ensemble cast (notably Josh Harnett, Eric Bana, Jason Isaacs and Ewan Mcgregor) however that should not take away from the superb acting from the rest of the cast as well, who with the film makers have created a very absorbing and entertaining film.
Once again Hans Zimmer's score is spot on and up there with my other favourites (True Romance and Gladiator) and it really is nice to see the music actually really adding to the film itself. While this film is only shows the view of what happened in Mogadishu from one side, it really does not loose anything for that. In fact I think that the focus of the film, if anything, is much better for not focusing on the political problems of the time. As a final word I would like to state that on my first viewing of this film I thought it was okay. Since I brought the DVD I have come to realise exactly what a brilliant piece of film making this is, and now watch it at least once a month. It is well worth watching a 2nd (or even 50th, as I must be on now) time. Once again another masterpiece from Ridley Scott.