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MAINPAGE - RECENT CINEMA RELEASES - RECENT VIDEO RELEASES - THE ARCHIVES - LINKS Black Hawk Down Main Cast:
Director: Ridley Scott Rating: 3 Stars. Worth A Watch Plot Summary: Special Ranger units of the American military are based in war torn Somalia. Their objective is to locate and capture a dangerous and powerful local warlord. Acting on information received from an informant the Rangers move-in on a building in a hostile part of Mogadishu city. Things get messy when the Rangers encounter resistance from the local militia and when a Black Hawk helicopter is shot down they begin to lose control of the situation. A new staff sergeant (Josh Hartnett) and inexperienced clerk (Ewan McGregor) find themselves in the middle of the fighting… Review: The film is based on real life events that took place in Somalia in 1993. The filming is done to create one long continuous piece of action and it is almost like a documentary at times. This gives a very realistic feel to the film which helps portray the panic and brutality of the fighting that took place. It also means that there is no break or relief for the viewer as there is no let up in the fighting scenes. Continual shooting, explosions and graphic bloody scenes make this film exhausting to watch. This is not a film to be enjoyed (especially as it is based on real events) but it can be appreciated for its excellent depiction and realism of war. The camera work is so good that at times you can really imagine what it would have been like and you can certainly get an idea of the fear and panic that the soldiers experienced. The acting all round is excellent. The main character Josh Hartnett plays a young, newly appointed, staff sergeant who feels responsible for the men around him and is afraid that he will let them down. Ewan McGregor plays a Ranger who has never experienced any fighting before. Up to this he was the office clerk because he was able to type! Both put in excellent performances. Lasting thought: I couldn’t help thinking of the families who lost someone in the fighting and how harrowing it must be for them to watch something as graphic and real as this. Reviewed by Niall Quinn, Premier Movie Reviews 2002 MAINPAGE - RECENT CINEMA RELEASES - RECENT VIDEO RELEASES - THE ARCHIVES - LINKS |