Tremendous frontline footage; firefight fans will love this one...

Rating: Null/10 (2 July 2002)

There are two kinds of good movies: ones that expand moviedom by creating a new movie niche or standard of creativity, and ones that add to existing movie niches.
"Black Hawk Down" is that second kind of good movie. It does not carve a new niche for war movies, but it adds well to the exisiting niche of high-violence war movies like "Siege on Firebase Gloria".
Focused largely on the gritty violence and frontline fear of combat soldiers, Black Hawk Down delivers 130 minutes of panicked gunfire and grotesque pain. There must have been over 1 million rounds of ammunition discharged during these 130 minutes. Over 1000 people die in this movie. DO NOT TAKE A FIRST DATE TO THIS MOVIE. DO NOT RENT THIS IF YOU DON'T LIKE WAR MOVIES.
As well, don't try to compare this movie to Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, or Full Metal Jacket. Although all of these movies are rife with gory combat, the Bruckheimer movie has a distinctly-different flavor to it... a surreal Ridley Scott taste that is part "Gladiator" and part "Blade Runner"... the gore is right in front of you, but it is stylishly dissociated, like an intellectual study amidst pounding noise and red splatter.
HIGH POINTS OF BLACK HAWK DOWN: outstanding visual narrative, from both air and ground points of view; more than enough gunfighting and violence to satisfy any action fan's appetite; excellent visual style and use of colored camera filters; amazing stunt work and special effects; Tom Sizemore is precious as the stoic combat leader;
LOW POINTS OF BLACK HAWK DOWN: emotionally taxing to watch; no comic relief or release of emotional tension for the viewer; characterization of the soldiers is difficult to follow; you will need to watch a Disney movie afterwards to pull you out of a post-viewing depression.

If you like bloody battles and war movies, if you enjoyed "Siege on Firebase Gloria", and if you want to get a visually overwhelming taste of combat, then Black Hawk Down is a must-own DVD.

3.5 Stars out of Five.