Black Hawk Down [SOUNDTRACK]

Hans Zimmer

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 15, 2002)
• Original Release Date: January 18, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Decca U.S.
• ASIN: B00005UWHH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,168 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After the success of Gladiator, it wasn't unusual to see director Ridley Scott turn to Hans Zimmer again for the score to Black Hawk Down, his fierce adaptation of Mark Bowden's account of the tragic 1993 American military intervention in Somalia. What was more surprising was the schedule Scott imposed on the German-born composer: 15 days to write, arrange, and record the film's nearly two hours of music. The results of Zimmer's miraculous two-week musical campaign not only belie those constraints; they instantly take their place alongside The Thin Red Line as some of the most compelling music he's produced. The gambit here is simple--portray the combatants as two warring tribes, with their native musics locked in a tense dance for domination. Yet the results are geometrically more complex and artistically rewarding, with thrash guitar and speed metal/hip-hop/martial rhythms encroaching on, then fusing with, the timeless indigenous music of North Africa to become something wholly other. Senegalese vocalist Baaba Maal contributes greatly, as do Algerian worldbeat artist Rachid Tara and the duet of Denez Prigent and Zimmer's Gladiator collaborator Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance). Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros' warm rendition of Thomas More's "Minstrel Boy" also underscores the military's brotherhood. But the real star here is Zimmer, who again takes his quest for "music he's never heard" to yet another rewarding plateau. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Fusion of Themes, April 18, 2004

By	Shaun Williams (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first watched the movie, I noticed the music immediately and it captured my interest throughout the entire film. It was a mix of rock, synthesizers, classical, and traditional African music that formed a style unlike any I'd heard before. Haunting dirges described a famine stricken land, Islamic themes seemed to echo out from centuries past, and intense traditional music at a fast beat backed with rock guitars would heighten tension in fight scenes. In most movies, the soundtrack is a sickly background presence, but in Black Hawk Down, it's up front, making all the action larger than life.

I find that this unique music does well on its own or under any circumstance. It just is wonderfully powerful music that gets the heart going.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch The Film and Weep, June 4, 2004

By	V. Marshall (North Fork, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This sountrack by Hans Zimmer is terrific. I don't believe you can watch the film and not leave the theater without the music in your head. Ethnic, violent, hanunting and tragic all at the same time it continues to bring to life the tragedy of the film with each listen. A powerful ride and well worth the purchase!

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Zimmer Strikes Yet Again, January 26, 2002

By	Synchrotone (Canada) - See all my reviews

With almost a hundred movie scores under his belt, Hans Zimmer is a weathered composer. But that doesn't mean he's slowing down. From Hannibal to Pearl Harbor, M:I-2 to The Prince of Egypt to The Rock and Crimson Tide, Mr. Zimmer has produced score after timeless score. And Black Hawk Down is no exception. It's amalgam of African vocals and American guitars in "Barra Barra" is nothing if not incredible, and hard hitting tracks such as "Synchrotone" and "Tribal War" can get the blood moving.
Unfortunatly there have been several poor review's for this superb disc. I understand that it may not be for everybody, albeit I believe everybody should give it a listen. It is an unconventional score, but the fact is, it was written for an unconventional movie. The movie itself is incredible, cheers to Ridley Scott, and the music goes fittingly well within the picture. It also has found a new home in the CD player.
Bravo to Ridley Scott, and bravo to Hans Zimmer for yet another valiant effort to create something new in a world where "new" is becoming increasingly hard to come by.