Black Hawk thumbs down

Rating: 3/10 (25 May 2003)

What a load of over blown guff! This one really takes the p***. Now look don't get me wrong we all know that the only good thing that comes out of war is the movies. Yes war is barbaric, futile and horrific and even without the likes of Apocolypse Now, Platoon, Full metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan etc we'd know that anyway - but boy what a good bunch of movies. This one however is a resolutly souless peace of film making. Ridley Scott sure makes it look good alright, but it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Good war movies show the impact of war on a humanitarian level - this one looks as though a hollywood producer thought the first 20 mins of saving private ryan stretched to 2 hours would make a brilliant action movie and it doesn't. whereas speilbergs war film was an assault on the senses, by giving us more gore this film simply dulls the senses, and the final words tacked on to the end of the film only highlight the sheer unabashed tastelessness that runs all the way through it. This film will not tell you anything you already didn't know, and is an insult to your intelligence the minute the "action" starts. Really somebody tell me the point to this film - its exploitive cinema at it's worst. come on Ridley, you're better than this, please get back to form and redeem yourself.