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on January 17, 2013
Given that this is one of my all-time favorite movies, it's one of the few dvds in my collection worthy of an upgrade to Blu-Ray.
I read the book, which is excellent, when it was first published and thought there was no way a movie could do justice to what happened there. I was wrong.
Technically, both the video and audio quality are excellent. In terms of value, the extra features, most especially the commentary by some of the military personnel who were present, are alone worth the price of admission. As far as the movie itself, this is a great one. The story is compelling, especially since it's based on an actual event. The directing is top-notch. The acting is excellent and wholly believable. Black Hawk Down is the sort of movie that stays with you long after it's over.
Black Hawk Down is a worthy tribute to our men and women in uniform in general and to the soldiers who took part in this battle in particular.
I read the book, which is excellent, when it was first published and thought there was no way a movie could do justice to what happened there. I was wrong.
Technically, both the video and audio quality are excellent. In terms of value, the extra features, most especially the commentary by some of the military personnel who were present, are alone worth the price of admission. As far as the movie itself, this is a great one. The story is compelling, especially since it's based on an actual event. The directing is top-notch. The acting is excellent and wholly believable. Black Hawk Down is the sort of movie that stays with you long after it's over.
Black Hawk Down is a worthy tribute to our men and women in uniform in general and to the soldiers who took part in this battle in particular.
on December 30, 2014
Really really good movie. This is one of the best shot war movies ever. It was incredibly good, and in some sways better than "Saving Private Ryan." The photography and the production design were just so good, masterful and expert even. The only slight flaws were that the script was a little confusing and had too many things going on at once, with too many plot lines. However, I read the book and that was true to life, there were many characters, and if they wanted to cover all of the action, they had to jump around. That is a tough task, while remaining realistic. Also, the sound was a little off: I couldn't quite hear what they were saying all the time, or remember who was who. Unlike other people, I actually wish there were more shoot-em-up scenes in here. Overall, it was fantastic movie, though.
on August 5, 2013
This movie spends little time building up to the actual battle. It does develop a few characters and let you get to know them so you care what happens to them, but then it jumps right into the action and just keeps building to the end. The battle scenes are intense and you find yourself almost wanting to duck and cover throughout the movie. It is fairly graphic and hard to watch at times, but it does a great job of showing the bravery of the soldiers who did the best they could in a horrific situation while showing how a lot of little decisions can add up to a big problem later (i.e. don't take enough water, ammo or night vision because they are heavy and you don't think you will need them).
The recreation of the actions of MSgt Gordon and SFC Shughart who selflessly volunteered to go into a desperate situation to protect a downed helicopter pilot knowing that the chances for survival were extremely poor was especially striking and a little hard to watch knowing that they were awarded posthumous Congressional Medals of Honor for their bravery. Bottom line is that while the movie most certainly is somewhat sensationalized to fit into a 2 hour Hollywood movie format with big budget stars etc, it also does a great job conveying the futility, fog and confusion of modern urban combat.
The recreation of the actions of MSgt Gordon and SFC Shughart who selflessly volunteered to go into a desperate situation to protect a downed helicopter pilot knowing that the chances for survival were extremely poor was especially striking and a little hard to watch knowing that they were awarded posthumous Congressional Medals of Honor for their bravery. Bottom line is that while the movie most certainly is somewhat sensationalized to fit into a 2 hour Hollywood movie format with big budget stars etc, it also does a great job conveying the futility, fog and confusion of modern urban combat.
on January 18, 2016
sat on the edge of my seat...even though I knew the outcome. the action and adventure in this film were unbelievable, the cast was most impressive, the acting very very good. I even liked the musical score, which I rarely notice in a film. I loved the friendship of the soldiers and everyone's belief that no one is left behind. I enjoy the war movie genre and this one was right up there with some of the best. There was a lot of blood and it was a bit gory-definitely not for the faint of heart. It was 2 1/2 hours long, but I didn't notice...didn't look at the clock once to see how much longer it was going to go on. I would highly recommend this movie. It tells the story of modern day warfare and I will never forget the bravery of these young soldiers.
on March 27, 2017
I had never seen this movie and was happy that I never watched the DVD version from Netflix. The Blu-ray version is excellent as are the special features after. They brought new meaning to the movie and the characters. The actor boot camps were worth the price of admission. Highly recommend this, particularly if you haven't seen it yet.
on December 6, 2014
My father was a 3rd Bat. Ranger, Sgt. Fichtelman. He is what got me interested into the idea of becoming one. So, I ventured forth knowing I was going to enlist, and maybe train to be a Ranger. I got a bit older and watched this film. Suddenly, the idea was locked in; I was going to become a Ranger (not one yet, but in a few years). This movie is one of the most real war movies I have ever watched, and seems to be extremely accurate. It describes one of the harshest events out there (out of the many). This was hell. And this movie shows it. To all veterans out there: Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Not many realize what you have gone through, but some of us will.
BUY IT. This movie is spectacular, and good for any audience. Mainly people who are interested in the military. Hooah! Rangers lead the way.
BUY IT. This movie is spectacular, and good for any audience. Mainly people who are interested in the military. Hooah! Rangers lead the way.
on April 8, 2014
A fact-based account of a mission undertaken by U.S. forces in Somalia during the Clinton administration. It was a mission that should probably never have been attempted and not well thought out. We were attempting to capture or terminate a warlord and his associates in the heart of the city. The plan went awry and we had a Black Hawk chopper shot down. This then became a rescue mission on our part to save the crew and destroy the chopper so the technology wouldn't be compromised. It proved to be a desperate highly intense firefight as the Somali's swarmed in from all sides. The film is very close to the actual mission. I saw a documentary about the mission and was surprised how accurate this movie's rendition is. There are no flashbacks or any interruptions in the action. You really feel like you're there. Acting is of high caliber and if you enjoy war movies, this is one of the best. Highly recommended.
on June 18, 2002
To start off with, before or after seeing the movie, reading the book would be a huge plus because the book is incredibly good. It may well fill in any gaps or questions that were not addressed in the movie. Seeing the movie after reading the book, It was very apparent that the movie followed the book very closely and was excellently done.
The movie does not delve into the politics of the U.S. in Somalia but it does give an introductory, although short, explanation why we were there and what we were trying to accomplish. Some reviewers have stated that we shouldn't have been there in the first place. Let's take a look - it was reported that 300,000 Somalian citizens had starved to death because their emergency food supplies (flown in by the U.S.) were taken away by Somalian warlords. The Somalian militias then attacked U.N. peacekeeping forces and rendered them just about useless. The United States was about the only nation left to go and render aid and assistance because no one else was going to do it. We had honest and just reasons to try to shut down the warlords and help a country that was harboring genocidal killers that were perpetrating vicious crimes against humanity.
Being in the military myself for 14 years now, I can relate to what goes through a soldiers mind and why we in the military are asked to do certain things that the average citizens of our country cannot always relate to. It's not easy to explain, but we in the military are very proud and rely on honor, integrity, teamwork, and pride. We work very hard to protect our country, other countries, and those in the world who cannot protect themselves and who need our help. This is just one of the reasons that makes America great.
In October of 1993, some 100 or so U.S. Military Forces comprised of the Army Rangers, Delta Force, and the Special Operations Aviation Regiment (S.O.A.R.) were tasked to extricate two key individuals in the warlord clan led by Mohammed Aidid to help stop the crimes against the Somalian people. This extrication was to take place in an extremely hostile area in the middle of the city of Mogadishu in broad daylight. According to initial planning, it was to be a 30 to 35 minute operation which ended up playing out to be a horrifying 16 to 18 hour ordeal. The reality at the onset was looking to be successful until two Blackhawk type helicopters were shot down using rocket propelled grenades (RPG's).
The U.S. soldiers were immediately thrown into an environment of total chaos being that the Somalian militias were very heavily armed and attacked from every section of the city. Adding to the misery was that hundreds, if not thousands of Somalian citizens had weapons also and relentlessly attacked our soldiers for hours on end without hesitation. The U.S. soldiers, taking many disastrous casualties and injuries of their own, secured both helicopter crash scenes, fought all the way through with almost unheard of courage and determination, brought all of their wounded and dead out that they could, and showed more bravery and resolve than could ever be asked of anyone.
Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer have long been involved in movies of non-stop action and heart pounding excitement. I don't see this movie as so much an action movie but compare it more to a documentary and an entirely realistic vision of what actually happened on that fateful day. I believe that the movie was exceptionally well made and showed exactly what needed to be showed. This was not a movie to be a forum for the politics of why we were there. The movie states why we were there and how the military was intimately involved. If there is anyone who questions our military or how good they really are or what sacrifices we have made in history for our country and other countries, this movie is indicative of why our country is the greatest with the greatest military. This is probably one of the 10 best war films ever made and I think it is important for U.S. citizens to really know what happened that day in Somalia to get a clear picture.
I couldn't give this review 5 stars because of the poor content of the DVD release. There are trailers for 2 movies but neither are for Black Hawk Down. Not good. There is no directors commentary and no worthwhile featurettes. Why? In the age of digital sound and video, we are seeing much more of DTS sound on large amounts of DVD releases. The 5.1 Dolby surround on this movie was excellent but DTS would have been sensational and they should have considered this when making the DVD. I have a reasonably good suspicion that they will re-release this DVD with a load of extra's in the future and possibly DTS sound. It may be worth the wait.
If you like war movies, especially those that are based on true events and very accurate, you will probably find Black Hawk Down to your liking. A small word of warning though. This movie depicts very graphic scenes of injuries and carnage and death. But, that is precisely how it should have been done so that the viewer can relate to what actually happened. I hope most of you will be able to appreciate this movie as much as I did.
The movie does not delve into the politics of the U.S. in Somalia but it does give an introductory, although short, explanation why we were there and what we were trying to accomplish. Some reviewers have stated that we shouldn't have been there in the first place. Let's take a look - it was reported that 300,000 Somalian citizens had starved to death because their emergency food supplies (flown in by the U.S.) were taken away by Somalian warlords. The Somalian militias then attacked U.N. peacekeeping forces and rendered them just about useless. The United States was about the only nation left to go and render aid and assistance because no one else was going to do it. We had honest and just reasons to try to shut down the warlords and help a country that was harboring genocidal killers that were perpetrating vicious crimes against humanity.
Being in the military myself for 14 years now, I can relate to what goes through a soldiers mind and why we in the military are asked to do certain things that the average citizens of our country cannot always relate to. It's not easy to explain, but we in the military are very proud and rely on honor, integrity, teamwork, and pride. We work very hard to protect our country, other countries, and those in the world who cannot protect themselves and who need our help. This is just one of the reasons that makes America great.
In October of 1993, some 100 or so U.S. Military Forces comprised of the Army Rangers, Delta Force, and the Special Operations Aviation Regiment (S.O.A.R.) were tasked to extricate two key individuals in the warlord clan led by Mohammed Aidid to help stop the crimes against the Somalian people. This extrication was to take place in an extremely hostile area in the middle of the city of Mogadishu in broad daylight. According to initial planning, it was to be a 30 to 35 minute operation which ended up playing out to be a horrifying 16 to 18 hour ordeal. The reality at the onset was looking to be successful until two Blackhawk type helicopters were shot down using rocket propelled grenades (RPG's).
The U.S. soldiers were immediately thrown into an environment of total chaos being that the Somalian militias were very heavily armed and attacked from every section of the city. Adding to the misery was that hundreds, if not thousands of Somalian citizens had weapons also and relentlessly attacked our soldiers for hours on end without hesitation. The U.S. soldiers, taking many disastrous casualties and injuries of their own, secured both helicopter crash scenes, fought all the way through with almost unheard of courage and determination, brought all of their wounded and dead out that they could, and showed more bravery and resolve than could ever be asked of anyone.
Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer have long been involved in movies of non-stop action and heart pounding excitement. I don't see this movie as so much an action movie but compare it more to a documentary and an entirely realistic vision of what actually happened on that fateful day. I believe that the movie was exceptionally well made and showed exactly what needed to be showed. This was not a movie to be a forum for the politics of why we were there. The movie states why we were there and how the military was intimately involved. If there is anyone who questions our military or how good they really are or what sacrifices we have made in history for our country and other countries, this movie is indicative of why our country is the greatest with the greatest military. This is probably one of the 10 best war films ever made and I think it is important for U.S. citizens to really know what happened that day in Somalia to get a clear picture.
I couldn't give this review 5 stars because of the poor content of the DVD release. There are trailers for 2 movies but neither are for Black Hawk Down. Not good. There is no directors commentary and no worthwhile featurettes. Why? In the age of digital sound and video, we are seeing much more of DTS sound on large amounts of DVD releases. The 5.1 Dolby surround on this movie was excellent but DTS would have been sensational and they should have considered this when making the DVD. I have a reasonably good suspicion that they will re-release this DVD with a load of extra's in the future and possibly DTS sound. It may be worth the wait.
If you like war movies, especially those that are based on true events and very accurate, you will probably find Black Hawk Down to your liking. A small word of warning though. This movie depicts very graphic scenes of injuries and carnage and death. But, that is precisely how it should have been done so that the viewer can relate to what actually happened. I hope most of you will be able to appreciate this movie as much as I did.
on August 15, 2003
Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana and Ewan McGregor are under heavy fire in the astounding war drama "Black Hawk Down". In 1993, a group of peace-keeping American soldiers are sent to the hostile Somalian capital of Mogadishu to capture a ruthless warlord. When the mission goes terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered by thousands of Somalian militia and fighting for their lives. Based on the best-selling true story, "Black Hawk Down" is a powerful action-packed masterpiece of American filmmaking. Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator & Alien) has captured the fury and carnage of war with such stunning suspense, emotional drama and realistic detail. This amazing movie contains a compelling story and spectacular action sequences. Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGreggor, Eric Bana and Tom Sizemore deliver some good performances. The talented cast also includes William Fichtner, Orlando Bloom, Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Piven and Sam Shepard. "Black Hawk Down" had its share of controversy but recieved some largely positive reviews and two Academy Awards.
Get ready to experience director Ridley Scott's exceptional war spectacle with "Black Hawk Down" 3-Disc Deluxe Edition. Like its previous release, this powerful action-packed film is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD contains an extraordinarily flawless picture quality with stunning detail and great sharpness. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is definitely engaging with dynamic surround effects, but a DTS audio track should have been included in this edition. This stunning 3-Disc edition features audio commentaries by filmmakers and Task Force Ranger veterans, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, in-depth historical look in the events in Mogadishu and theatrical trailers. With an impressive DVD presentation and amazing supplements, "Black Hawk Down" is a must-have addition to any DVD collection and certainly scores an "A".
Get ready to experience director Ridley Scott's exceptional war spectacle with "Black Hawk Down" 3-Disc Deluxe Edition. Like its previous release, this powerful action-packed film is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD contains an extraordinarily flawless picture quality with stunning detail and great sharpness. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is definitely engaging with dynamic surround effects, but a DTS audio track should have been included in this edition. This stunning 3-Disc edition features audio commentaries by filmmakers and Task Force Ranger veterans, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, in-depth historical look in the events in Mogadishu and theatrical trailers. With an impressive DVD presentation and amazing supplements, "Black Hawk Down" is a must-have addition to any DVD collection and certainly scores an "A".
