Very intense war film.

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2003)

This was a hard movie to watch. It was excellent in its portrayal of the battle in Mogadishu but the action got so intense and had so few pauses that I had to turn the tape off at one point to take account of my senses.
Ridley Scott does an excellent job directing the intense street battles between the Rangers and the Somali militias. The fighting begins pretty early in the movie and continues unabated right up til the end. Even with all the action going on, he still finds a way to personalize some of the characters.
Tempering the film is the sadness of knowing how messed up the battle preparations were, how the politicians back in Washington didn't allow the men to go in with proper cover (armored vehicles were held back until the rescue operation). Also, there is the knowledge that despite these men's heroics, nothing ever changed in Somalia.
Not a film for everyone, but well done nonetheless.