A war film for the 21st century

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2003)

On October 3rd, 1993, about a hundred elite United States soldiers were dropped by helicopters into the teeming market in Mogadishu, Somalia. Their mission was to abducttwo top lieutenants of a Somali warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take only an hour. Instead, they found themselves pinned down through a long and terrible night fighting against thousands of heavily armed Somalis. The following morning, eighteen Americans were dead and more than seventy were badly injured.
This is the premise for one of the more intense war films of the last few years, however unless you see it on a large screen then it loses much of its impact. I saw this film on the big screen right after it was first released and was simply blown away by the sheer realism of it all. I recently watched it again on DVD and alas wasn't amazed the second time around the way I was the first time.
Ridley Scott directed this total ensemble effort and for that I believe he should have received the Academy Award for Best Direction for this one instead of Gladiator. Also, this should have been nominated for Best Picture, although I wouldn't have wanted it to win. Just for this film to have been nominated would have certainly said something.
My rating: 2 and a half stars