Provides a great reason to read the book.

Rating: Null/10 (22 January 2002)

Author Mark Bowden in a recent interview said his initial reason upon writing the first draft the script for Black Hawk Down was to at least make it good enough to sell another million copies of his book, which in my opinion is one of the greatest non-fiction books on war ever written. After seeing the movie I wouldn't be suprised if he did. Black Hawk Down is a gripping intense war movie that surpasses films like The Thin Red Line, and Saving Private Ryan. It takes its time showing the battle of Mogadishu from both sides of the conflict. One of its strengths is in showing the preparations of the Adid militia in readying for the oncoming battle to the foibles of the American soldiers who thought the operation to capture two of Adids top men would be a simple operation only lasting half an hour. Every action is plotted in minute detail making the battle seem more like a chess match. Its scenes like a soldier bleeding to death from a wound in his leg to the heroic actions of two delta team snipers that end up costing them they're lives that make the film so much more than a typical war movie. These were real people and these events really happened. Unlike films like Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gates, which had largely ficional stories surrounded by true stories you can't help but be amazed at this film. If theres anything I can criticize, I think the film feels somewhat incomplete. A major concern voiced by critics is the lack of showing the motives of the Somalians which is why some have called it a racist movie. As the book took some time to give you a feel of why the Somalians would attack men sent to help them, little or no information is given in this respect. While that hurts the story, I will defend the film in the fact that not all Somalians are shown as vicious blood thirsty savages. You the viewer should make your own decisions on this subject. Another problem is that the film feels somewhat incomplete because of the addition of two scenes. It feels like it wants to show you the aftermath of the battle but instead ends it without providing any resolution to the scenes other than a post script at the end of the movie. Other than these few minor details everything else is spot on from the performances ( Australian Eric Bana is a standout as is Josh Hartnet who overcomes any stumbles he took with Pearl Harbor ) to the production itself. As I was leaving the movie, I heard a teenager ask his father what the moral of the story was. It seems he found the movie bloody and pointless. If I was the father I would have made the son read the book before asking that question. That way at least he would have had some understanding of what is one of the best films this year.