Great war movie of all time

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2002)

Black Hawk Down is hands down the most visually spectacular movie depicting war to come out to date. Saving Private Ryan was an appettizer. Black Hawk Down is the main course. Ridley Scott proves he is one of Hollywood's most talented directors as he is able to make sense of an event so extensive and so difficult to canvass that an average director would just have fumbled. The story itself is simplictic. Army Rangers and Delta force are sent in to arrest the warlord Aidid's lieutenants. Slowly, the mission begins to unravel and American lives are lost, totally 19. This movie is not a propaganda machine. Although it sets up the backstory to why they are there with the intro, there is no in depth contemplation of American involvement in Somalia. The soldiers are there because they are soldiers, thats all you need to know. The entire story is focused on these 100 or so American men and their sole role as soldiers. There is no character development, no single individual that stands out or to root for. This is war and no one man makes a war. So as you can see so far, this is not a conventional John Wayne movie. If you want a true account of Oct 3, 1993, watch Dateline or the history channel. Black Hawk Down is a condensed and fictional account of what happened and how these soldiers dealt with the cards given to them. We get a story about comraderie and heroism mixed with tragedy and sorrow. We feel bad that these soldiers are in there fighting for there lives but we also get a sense that this is their job and someone has to do it. So if you want a conventional movie to root for a hero, this ain't it my friend. This is a film about war and the soldiers who fight them. Is Ridley Scott glorifying these men or is he making an anti-war movie? Pundits could argue both ways but this is something only the genius of Ridley Scott truly knows. Don't rent Black Hawk Down, save your cash and buy it on DVD. You will thank me for this.