More Like A "Tony" Than A "Ridley" Scott Film

Rating: 7/10 (6 February 2002)

That millions of people around the world suffer from hunger, tyranny, suppression, discrimination and worse is apparent to anyone who even only occasionally turns on the 6:00 news. Heinous crimes and atrocities are committed daily in third world countries, and even in the most highly developed and civilized countries, as we all know only too well in the wake of September 11. And the frustration, guilt and despair evoked by the accounts of such things can induce a sense of helplessness that is immeasurable. Filmmakers here have chosen one especially significant incident from among the many on which to elaborate, and which puts the plight of those less fortunate into succinct perspective. Probably because this was the largest land battle since Vietnam, the battle of Mogadishu on October 3, 1993 was selected to bring the turmoil in Somalia to light, and in so doing bring attention to the ongoing distress of our global community, as well. A dramatization of the events of that day are depicted in `Black Hawk Down,' directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Ken Nolan, adapted from the book by Mark Bowden.
Civil War in raging in Somalia, and thousands upon thousands are starving to death under the relentless rule of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. U.N. food drops have been ineffective in relieving the situation, as Aidid's troops confiscate the food in his name. Hunger and fear are Aidid's weapons of choice. When information comes their way that two of Aidid's most influential advisors will be in conference in the city, the commanders of the American troops stationed nearby determine to launch a raid to capture them, which they feel will greatly undermine Aidid's hold on Mogadishu. As planned, the operation will take less than an hour; but as with all sure things, the mission quickly goes bad, American troops become trapped in the city and are summarily engaged in hostilities by the enemy. During the melee, one of the aircraft, an American Black Hawk, is shot down. From his command post, General William Garrison (Sam Shepard) assesses the situation, and determines that no matter what, `No man will be left behind.' Afterward, the whole affair briefly became a blip on the evening news and a headline in the papers; but to those who lived it, it became a day they would never forget. And this is their story.
With his 1998 film, `Saving Private Ryan,' Steven Spielberg set the bench mark for depicting combat on the screen in decidedly realistic terms. That film gave the viewer a sense of being in combat that was unprecedented, and with it, Spielberg raised the bar for all who followed. Now, it's expected that any major motion picture dealing with such subject matter will deliver that same kind of realism. And this film certainly does. But Spielberg did something else, too, that was very effective: He presented all of his major players on a very personal level, which gave `Ryan' a significant impact emotionally as well as viscerally. Ridley Scott did not do that with this film, and it makes all the difference in the world. Toward the end of the film, one of the characters, Hoot (Eric Bana), makes the comment that in battle, it's all about `The guy next to you.' And that's very true; the problem here is, we don't really know who that guy is. Beyond enabling the audience to feel the sting of combat, to be entirely effective and really make that necessary connection with the viewer, Scott should have made sure we knew enough about these men out there fighting for their lives to really feel something when one of them went down. With few exceptions, it is difficult to put a name to a face during it all. Quite frankly, for the most part you can't tell the players without a scorecard. What he basically gives you is glimpses into a number of lives, and leaves it up to you to fill in the blanks. And it's just not enough to make this the gut wrenching drama that it should have been.
As far as performances, only a couple actually stand out: Sam Shepard as General Garrison, and Tom Sizemore as Lt. Colonel Danny McKnight. Shepard is outstanding, turning in a fairly understated portrayal that is entirely believable, while Sizemore shows much more reserve than usual, and gives one of the more affecting performances of the film. Also worth noting is the work of Ron Eldard as Mike Durant, one of the pilots of the Black Hawks. But Josh Hartnett, as Staff Sergeant Matt Eversmann, while creating a character that is believable, and definitely endowed with a 90s sensitivity, is less than a commanding presence, and for the most part is nothing more than just another face in the crowd. The same fate befalls Ewan McGregor as John Grimes, a company clerk/typist who finally gets his chance for duty in the field on this ill-fated mission.
The supporting cast includes William Fichtner (Master Sergeant Howe), Ewen Bremner (Nelson), Jason Isaacs (Captain Steele), Jeremy Piven (Wolcott), Orlando Bloom (Blackburn) Danny Hoch (Pilla) and Gregory Sporleder (Galentine). Without question, the highlight of this film is the patriotism it inspires; in that regard, it's through the roof. But as a cinematic endeavor, `Black Hawk Down,' is average at best. It could have-- and should have-- been a film as emotionally gripping as they come, but Scott and Nolan dropped the ball by concentrating too much on the technical aspects of the project and apparently assuming that the human element would emerge of it's own accord. The result is an intensely patriotic action film-- albeit a darn good one-- which accurately (by all accounts) depicts an incident that, while extremely disconcerting, is presented in a less than satisfying manner. Scott and his team put together a good package with this film, but they just didn't fill it up-- or deliver the goods as well as they could have. I rate this one 7/10.