MPAA Rating: R/Genre: War/Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Ewen Bremner, Gabriel Casseus, Hugh Dancy, Ioan Gruffudd, Tom Guiry, Charlie Hofheimer, Danny Hoch, Jason Isaacs, Brendan Sexton III, Brian Van Holt, Ian Virgo, Tom Hardy, Gregory Sporleder, Carmine Giovinazzo, Chris Beetem, Tac Fitzgerald, Matthew Marsden, Orlando Bloom, Enrique Murciano, Michael Roof, Kent Linville, Norman Campbell Rees, Corey Johnson, Sam Shepard, Eric Bana, William Fichtner, Kim Coates, Steven Ford, Željko Ivanek, Johnny Strong, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Richard Tyson, Ron Eldard, Glenn Morshower, Jeremy Piven, Boyd Kestner, Pavel Vokoun, Jason Hildebrandt, George Harris, Razaaq Adoti, Treva Etienne, Ty Burrell, Dan Woods, Giannina Facio/Runtime: 144 minutes
If there is one thing that I have found myself discovering time and time again in life both on a personal and on a professional level it would have to be the fact that “sometimes it’s the true stories that aren’t as widely known or heard about which can make for the most compelling movies”. For example I might not have heard of the story of one Solomon Northup before I experienced the film 12 Years a Slave from 2013, but I can promise you that the movie definitely resulted in me wanting to know more about the man and his heart wrenching story. Not just because of the tragedy to it, but because it touched a part of me that really made me want to learn about it so I could make future generations aware of it as well. Likewise I had no idea at one time that, in the midst of the Iranian Hostage Crisis in the late 70s/early 80s, the CIA and no less an organization than Hollywood actually joined forces to save a group of 6 Americans who had managed, against all odds, to escape the American embassy before the takeover happened in full and who proceeded to go into hiding out at the residence of the Canadian Ambassador to Iran at that time. However, after seeing the movie Argo which presents audiences with a cinematic telling of this incredible yet true story, I found myself seeking out and subsequently finding the real-life Tony Mendez’s book about the incident that inspired the movie and I’m actually about to start reading that tomorrow. Finally, I had no idea about the Mob’s ties to Las Vegas in the 70s especially how they, through their friends in the Teamsters’ Pension Fund, actually had one of their own run a casino until an ever-escalating series of incidents caused them to lose their hold on both the establishment and in Vegas overall, but after seeing the movie Casino from 1995 I definitely would love to know more about it. The reason I bring this up to you dear reader is because the 2001 slice of cinema, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, Black Hawk Down is another terrific and powerful example of this concept in action. To be sure, it is not a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch especially in terms of the fact that there are more than a few inaccuracies present, but even so there is no denying that, with the aid of solid and potent work on both sides of the camera, Black Hawk Down “01” is a hard-hitting, taut, and more than slightly visceral look at one chapter in the history of America’s armed forces you might not have heard of before viewing this slice of cinema, but after seeing it I can most assuredly promise that you aren’t likely to forget anytime soon either.
The plot is as follows: Based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name by journalist Mark Bowden, Black Hawk Down takes audiences back in time to 1992. A year that, among other things worthy of mention about it, is also when a horrific famine swept across Southern Somalia as a result of a vicious civil war that was being fought in the country. As a result, this prompted the United Nations Security Council to go ahead and give the green light to a military op armed with the objective of getting the area back on a more peaceful footing. Yet when all this led to was further conflict between the U.N. forces and militia who were loyal to local warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, then U.S. President Clinton made the decision to send over to the city of Mogadishu an American military unit known as Task Force Ranger in order to find and capture this tyrant within hopefully 3 weeks. Thus as our story is getting underway, we witness as the now going on 6-week mission gets a break when, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, a group of soldiers comprised of those two distinct elite units known as Rangers and Delta Force are able to get their hands on one Osman Ali Atto. A man who is an invaluable captive not the least of which because he happens to be someone who has been engaged in selling firearms to the people who are part of Aidid’s militia. As a result of this and other vital intel, we see that the assorted forces on the ground, under the command of General Garrison, put together an op for the afternoon of October 3rd, 1993 with the objective of snatching up a pair of Adid’s top advisers with the hope that they will cough up the location of Adid himself. Now in some stories this would be the part where I tell you that the teams involved go in guns a’blazing, they manage to capture the high-profile targets at the core of their mission, make it back on board the choppers designated to get them the heck out of there, and then proceed to get back in time to base in time for celebratory beer and BBQ that evening in recognition of a job well done in the United States’ attempts to stabilize the area and bring peace back to the volatile region. Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly the kind of story being told here. A fact made evident when, despite the op starting off seemingly well, things quickly go south when all units encounter heavy fire and a pair of Black Hawk helicopters are swiftly shot out of the sky with an RPG. Thus what was supposed to be a simple op has now turned into something else. Namely no more or less than a lengthy and draining battle for survival for the U.S. forces stuck behind enemy lines. As for what comes of this to say nothing of if any of the men involved manage to make it back in one piece that I shall let you discover…..
Now right off, it should be said that the work done by the distinct units operating behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing are all able to deliver work here that, a few issues aside, really does a fantastic job of not only leaving you on the edge of your seat, but also feeling very much like you are right there with the characters as they go through this truly nightmarish ordeal. Without any question, this starts with the Oscar-nominated work done in the director’s chair by Sir Ridley Scott (the first Alien from 1979, Blade Runner, and 2015’s The Martian among others) and while he has had a few misses in his impressive career this thankfully is most assuredly not one of them. Indeed not only does Scott do a fantastic job at, from the uniforms being worn and the terminology being uttered to the firearms being utilized, make this film feel as authentic and true to life as possible, but he also succeeds extremely well at both keeping a firm grasp on the human component to this war story whilst also brilliantly maintaining a highly effective tempo for the film that keeps a consistent degree of unease and suspense during the sequences of combat whilst also permitting a fair amount of character construction to take place as well. Besides the electrifying work done by Scott from the helm, the film is also the blessed recipient of a fairly well written screenplay from Ken Nolan. Indeed not only does Nolan manage to adapt the source material in a way that honestly keeps the spirit of the conflict while also giving us audiences a well-structured narrative, but it also permits the audiences to get to know the soldiers at the heart of it as well thus making the film feel that much more personal as a result. In addition to that pair of aforementioned units, this slice of cinema also contains Oscar-nominated work from Slawomir Idziak (2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) in the cinematography department. Indeed through the utilization of highly kinetic and handheld camerawork plus natural lighting, we see that the team is able to effectively showcase for us not only a welcome degree of realism, but also the extreme degrees of chaos and anarchy present in the conflict taking place as well. Last, but by no stretch of the imagination least this section of the review would certainly be lacking if I didn’t take at least some time in it to talk about the impressive job done by the legendary Hans Zimmer (do I even have to give you any of this guy’s fairly, to put it lightly, noteworthy creative resume?) in regards to this film’s musical accompaniment. Indeed through the utilization of electric guitars and other present-day instrumentation we see that Zimmer is able to provide the film with a score that not only makes it feel a bit more contemporary to say nothing of one that would fit in perfectly on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but which is able to synch up incredibly well with the taut and riveting sequences of combat occurring on screen as well. Suffice it to say that when you also take into account Oscar-winning efforts from both the editing and sound departments among others it’s clear that this film might not be 110% accurate toward the events that went down or the people who were involved, but nevertheless the work done behind the camera most assuredly does its part to help make this the visceral and hard-hitting cinematic experience that it ultimately turns out to be.
In addition to the undeniably solid work done by the various groups operating behind the camera, this slice of cinema is also aided incredibly well by the fact that the performances by the impeccably chosen cast of talent in front of the camera are able to be on the same solid caliber as their behind the camera counterparts. Yet even though every single cast member of this undeniably impressive roster of talent is bringing as close to their A-game as possible, I must admit that there nevertheless are a few standouts which I feel are worthy of mention here. Without any question in my mind, this starts with the work done by Josh Hartnett (2023’s Oppenheimer, Penny Dreadful on Showtime, and 1998’s The Faculty) and he is very much on-point here. Indeed in the role of SSG Matt Eversmann, we see that Hartnett does a heartbreakingly beautiful job here of presenting us with a guy who, besides being just a natural leader through and through, is also someone who is extremely dedicated to his team to the point that he is willing to put his own life at risk if it means ensuring their continued safety and well-being during the battle. At the same time though, Hartnett is also willing to give us more than a few moments where we see the emotional toll the combat situation and some of his comrades losing their lives has on this guy and it is truly heartbreaking to watch. Indeed it’s a potent turn from an actor who I have always felt was perhaps a bit on the underrated side if I’m being honest. In addition to the engaging work done by Hartnett, the film also provides audiences with an intriguing performance given by Eric Bana (2004’s Troy, the Hulk movie from 2003). Indeed as SFC Norm “Hoot” Gibson, we see that Bana does wonderful work in giving us a veteran soldier who might be soft-spoken, but who also makes when he says something count to say nothing of someone you definitely want fighting by your side due to his combat experience and calm even when things have gone completely sideways. Last, but most assuredly not least this section would not be complete if I didn’t mention the performance given by noted playwright/actor Sam Shepard as MG William F. Garrison. Indeed it’s not the biggest part in the movie, but even so there is no denying that Shepard does a spot-on job of giving audiences a character who is very much a veteran and decisive leader, but who is just as willing to prioritize the safety and the wellbeing of the team involved in this mission in being able to get back to base as much as, if not even slightly more so than, the mission and the objectives of that mission itself. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in on-point work from such performers as Ewan “Obi-Wan Kenobi” McGregor, Ewen Bremner (Spud from Trainspotting), Ioan Gruffudd (the Tim Story Fantastic 4 films from 2005 and 2007 respectively), Hugh Dancy (Will from the TV show Hannibal), Tom Hardy, Matthew Marsden, Orlando Bloom (2 years before Pirates of the Caribbean), Corey Johnson, Kim Coates, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaimie Lannister on Game of Thrones), Glenn Morshower, Tom Guiry (Scotty Smalls from The Sandlot!), Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold in Entourage), Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy on Modern Family), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, 1995’s Strange Days), iconic character actor William Fichtner, and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise plus The Patriot from 2000 and Event Horizon from 1997) among many others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have a few distinct hurdles that it may at times have a wee bit of difficulty in overcoming, but thankfully the work, both individually as well as collectively, by this cast of talented individuals is most assuredly not one of them by any stretch of the imagination whatsoever.
All in all and at the end of the day is Black Hawk Down a masterpiece of cinema in the same vein as other classic war films like Saving Private Ryan? Sadly, and as much as I would love to answer this in the affirmative, I am afraid that I cannot though by no means is that due to lack of effort on the part of either the cast or the crew by any means. With that in mind however, is this one of the, if not the, worst slice of cinema made by any of the creative people involved in the making of this film be they either in front of or behind the camera? Absolutely not. Not even close. To be sure, the film does have a few distinct hurdles that it has at the very least a tad bit of difficulty in overcoming in the form of not only is it just one that for some people might be a hard to stomach due to the overall relentless and visceral nature of the story to say nothing of the fact that it does lack a fair amount of context in regards to the conflict itself and a lot of the characters at the heart of the narrative are either combinations of people who were there or might be slightly misleading in terms of their characterization, but also the fact that the film does significantly minimize the efforts of armed forces from both Pakistan and Malaysian who were invaluable assets to the American forces on the ground. Should you be able to get past those particular cinematic roadblocks however, there is also no denying that the work done in the director’s chair by Ridley Scott is extremely well-done, the score is spot-on and engaging, the cinematography does an incredible job of making you feel like you are part of the chaos and action, the script (despite the inaccuracies) fairly well-written, and the performances by the stacked roster of talent in front of the camera are all absolutely spot-on with everyone involved knowing what is being asked of them and as a result each of them are able to give a solid performance no matter how much or little screentime they are given to work with. Suffice it to say then that it might not be the most accurate war slice of cinema ever made, but even so Black Hawk Down “01” is nevertheless one hard hitting, taut, and potent cinematic outing that I promise will stay with long after the screen has cut to black and the credits have begun to roll. Make of that what thou will dear reader! On a scale of 1-5 I give Black Hawk Down “01” a solid 4 out of 5.
