Very Intense, But Not Altogether Engaging

Rating: 5/10 (11 March 2017)

While watching "Black Hawk Down", I began comparing it to other war movies/series I have previously watched, such as "Saving Private Ryan", "Band of Brothers", and "Flags of Our Fathers". Though the film impressed me with its gritty realism and intensity, there was just something missing that never really [...] me into the plot...a lack of the overly dramatic.
Basically, the movie takes place during the United States Army's attempt to liberate the country of Somolia from dictator Mohamed Farrah Aidid. When the mission begins to stray from its objectives and a Black Hawk military chopper crashes en route, a group of soldiers on the ground are put in extreme harms way in order to rescue their fellow brothers and fully complete the mission objectives.
The film succeeds in its ability to portray the type of warfare not uncommon to the Middle Eastern region. Instead of the beach assaults or air raids common of World War II fighting, the "modern" warfare method (at least in the Middle East) includes much more house-to-house, intense personal combat. The intensity of that fighting is aptly portrayed by director Ridley Scott and shows that all fighting in war is brutal...no matter where it takes place.
Yet, despite that realistic take on war violence, I actually thought that the movie suffered a bit from the fact that it didn't really try to embellish the story at all with any added drama. Usually this objective approach in a film would be a good thing, but in the case of "Black Hawk" it only adds to make things a bit long and tedious. Scott sticks to the basic details of the military assault, and really never delves into the personal lives of any of the characters or adds any auxiliary drama.
Thus, although "Black Hawk Down" is a very gritty, realistic portrayal of modern-day war efforts, to me at least it fell a bit flat dramatically. A little bit of character development or 24-esque drama would have gone a long way towards making it a memorable film experience.