War - why do we do it? (Black Hawk Down (2 DVDs))

Member Name: welshwolf

Product:	Black Hawk Down (2 DVDs)
Date:	23/02/02 (79 review reads)
Rating:

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From one of the best directors Ridley Scott a harrowing review, which makes me extremely glad that, I am not in the armed forces. On October 3rd, 1993, an elite team of more than 100 Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers, part of a larger United Nations peacekeeping force, are dropped into civil war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, in an effort to kidnap two of local crime lord Mohamed Farah Aidid's top lieutenants.
When enemy forces shoot two of the mission?s Black Hawk helicopters down, the Americans committed to recovering every man, dead or alive and stay in the area too long and are quickly surrounded. The ensuing firefight is a merciless 15-hour ordeal and the longest ground battle involving American soldiers since the Vietnam War. In the end, 70 soldiers are injured and 18 are dead, along with hundreds of Somalians.
Staring Josh Hartnett as Sgt Matt Eversmann, Tom Sizemore as Danny McKnight and Ewan McGregor as Grimes. The film centres on the firefight and what once again becomes an American disaster. To me it was frightening as to the passion that the Somalians attacked the Americans and although the cause of the Americans being in Somalia was for a Civil War the hatred for the Americans was more intense. The acting is average and the effects good but the story line is what makes the film.
The Americans expected to be able to kidnap the local crime loads with very little effort and did not even let the local Pakistan peacekeeping authorities know what was going on. A little bit far fetched in places still very enjoyable.
Anyway without giving too much away some very good filming and a story that keeps you at the edge of your seats. The acting was once again very American but I must admit I enjoyed. Billed as the greatest war film ever I would not bill it as that but worth a viewing. Band of brothers on TV is much better.

Score - 3.5 / 5

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