“Black Hawk’ a must see war film
Black Hawk Down is the latest in a long and proud tradition of American war dramas. It chronicles the events that took place in Somalia in October, 1993. During that time, Somalia was locked in a bloody civil war that was being fought on the streets of some of its most populous cities.
Oct. 3, a team of Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers were sent into Mogadishu to apprehend the lieutenants of a known Somali warlord. The operation was supposed to take an hour, but ended up lasting longer than 15. By the time it was over, 70 American soldiers were injured and 18 were dead. An estimated 1,000 Somalis also lost their lives.
The drama is made more poignant by the fact that Rangers have a long-standing commitment to never leave a fallen comrade behind. In the story, many acts of heroism center around the soldiers’ efforts to protect each other.
Fans of director Ridley Scott’s work know he is more than capable of making this sort of film. Scott is unapologetic in his portrayal of war. He also seems to have escaped the need to Americanize his films by reworking them to have neat, tidy endings. His previous film, Gladiator, ends with the death of the main character. Black Hawk Down ends much the same, but this time without the fanfare or a moving speech before the credits.
This film also differed from other war films in the fact that it covers only a short period of time and stays focused on the story. Scott could have added the usual window dressing – the president sitting concerned in his office, the weeping widow being comforted by a soldier or the concerned citizen watching events transpire through the window of a television shop, but he didn’t. His decision to avoid the fluff was definitely the right one.
Black Hawk Down is brutal and direct. This film is a must have for any war enthusiast’s collection and will set the standard for modern combat dramas in the future.
Grade: A