Goodnight, Irene

Rating: 6/10 (28 September 2009)

"From acclaimed director Ridley Scott and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a gripping true story about bravery, camaraderie, and the complex reality of war. 'Black Hawk Down' stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Ewen Bremner, and Sam Shepard.," according to the DVD sleeve. All true, except for the bit about the "complex reality of war." There were certainly complexities about this war, but they aren't evident in the film. We get some basic truths about war, mainly that War is Hell and American soldiers are brave - neither are news.
The title "Black Hawk Down" is at lest 50% of the film's total storyline. The DVD synopsis elaborates, "In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives." Humanitarian missions don't end like this; obviously, much of the story is missing.
Be prepared for graphic war violence (accent on dismemberment). Mr. Hartnett (as Matt Eversmann) winds up being the valiant leading player. Hiding behind an accent, coffee-making Mr. McGregor (as John Grimes) is called to action. However, Mr. Bana (as Norm "Hoot" Hooten) emerges as second in command. Proverbial "young upshot" Orlando Bloom (as Todd Blackburn) starts out like he's going to be a focus, but drops quickly off screen. Charlie Hofheimer (as Jamie Smith) walks off with the best of the lower-billed roles.
****** Black Hawk Down (12/18/01) Ridley Scott ~ Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Charlie Hofheimer