A big budget, low substance war film

Rating: 7/10 (14 May 2019)

If you read other reviews of Black Hawk Down, people praise the realism of the conflict in Somalia, along with the accurate portrayals of the American forces against the rebelling usurpers. However, these people seem to 1) have no idea what the conflict in Somalia was actually like, and 2) be completely blinded by the film's huge budget allowing a lot of dramatic set pieces.
Without a doubt this is a good war film: a cast ahead of its time (such as relative unknowns Orlando Bloom and Ewan McGregor) dropped into a war zone very different to those often portrayed on the big screen. Beyond this, however, not a lot more is on show - the fight scenes are predictable and simplistic, and a script isn't really required in between the bursts of gunfire. Black Hawk Down also leans fairly heavily on the trope of "down but not out", as every squad seems to be afflicted by someone who is a magnet for shrapnel and bullets, but continues to push through the swathes of war.
The production value salvages a lot for this movie, creating an atmosphere of legitimate danger often missing from action films. Furthermore, the use of aerial combat shows a degree of confidence from the producers (often avoided when budgets are slightly more restrictive). Black Hawk Down doesn't quite exceed the likes of Saving Private Ryan, but certaininly is above average on the merits of its hectic battle scenes.