Review of Black Hawk Down (2001) by Brian B — 18 Jul 2016

Many people may disagree with this but in my opinion, this is one of the best war films ever made. Sure, it's not a masterpiece but in my opinion, it's very close to being one. This movie is a highly well-done experience.

123 U.S. soldiers are dropped into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and they find themselves in a desperate battle with a large number of heavily-armed Somalis.

Ridley Scott has created one of the most realistic war movies ever. I actually felt that I was in the middle of the war-zone as it was going on. Because of how much it felt like the actual story, the movie creates a high amount of tension and it makes the viewer realize what exactly went on when the real event happened. The movie does an especially superb job on this because of the realistic environments, shots, and acting.

The score is fantastic. When certain scenes happen, it draws emotions out of us. Unlike a lot of movies, Black Hawk Down's score works with the movie. This means that without the music when a certain character dies off or when another important scene happens, it will have an impact on you regardless. But the score makes that feeling you had more massive.

Many people dislike the fact that this movie didn't have much character development. It is true that it's light on it but this film isn't focused on developing the characters, nor does it have to. It's completely dedicated to providing us with a first-person perspective of being in the middle of combat.

This movie does have a lot of suspense but it can be a bit mundane getting to the good parts. The opening is quite overlong and dry. It is full of military jargon and diagrams. But despite this, this movie is definitely worth seeing. After the opening is over, you're in for a big treat.

So in conclusion, this is a truly outstanding movie. Even though the opening is slow, this movie will impress you because of how realistic it is. It has realistic environments, shots, and acting. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest war films ever made.