Brutal, relentless modern warfare

Rating: Null/10 (22 January 2004)

The year is 1993 and US special forces are in Somalia to catch the warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, who has thrown the country into civil war. One October afternoon, US soldiers are sent on a mission to retrieve two top luitenants of the warlord. The mission was expected to go no longer than 30 minutes. However, a Black Hawk helicopter is shot down and the mission spirals out of control. For 16 hours, the soldiers are trapped in a relentless city. Eighteen soldiers and over 1000 somalis loose their lives during the ordeal.
I thought this film was exciting, and amazingly realistic. Josh Hartnet, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, and others are terrific and bring the truth of a combat soldier to the screen. Orlando Bloom is in this too. Girls, don't get too excited: he has a very minor role.

This film is rated R for a reason so beware of horrific violence and graphic visuals. Despite that, it's one of the best films of 2001 and is my top war recomendation for your DVD library.