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In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes quickly and terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives. (official distributor synopsis)

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Reviews (9)

agentmiky 

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English For me, this film DEFINED what a war movie should look like. I might get some interesting responses from the locals, but I place Black Hawk Down higher than Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. Ridley Scott created a film that simply took my breath away, and honestly, I don’t even know where to start with all these superlatives (and there are many). The opening sequence in Mogadishu, accompanied by a flawless soundtrack (yes, Zimmer outdid himself again) and perfect camera work, told me that this would become a cult film. The cast is absolutely top-notch, and everyone has their favorite character with whom they experience the war from their perspective (for me, Eric Bana from Delta Force stands out). And speaking of which, I appreciate that all the characters were given enough screen time for you to build a connection with them. It made it all the more impactful when the darkest possible scenario unfolded. The action sequences, featuring hundreds of bullets fired, crashes of American helicopters, and explosions, really left me cold. You hardly see such a realistic portrayal in today’s films, with computer effects kept to a minimum here (huge thumbs up for that). Emotionally, a few moments are capable of completely crushing the viewer. As I mentioned at the beginning, Zimmer once again delivered his classic soundtrack, with beautiful symphonic tones contrasting with the brutal street war scenes so precisely that a better result could not have been achieved. I’m truly at a loss for words. Another masterpiece from this director, and a film I will always make time for. ALWAYS... I give it 10/10. ()

Marigold 

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English Like a gritty war-themed action movie... why not... It has all the attributes of good action – swing, tension, drama and naturalistic directness. Similar to that which adorned Saving Private Ryan. Fortunately, unlike that film, it lacks the strong agitation spirit, although from a thought point of view the film is also quite schematic and pathetic. However, given the amazingly absorbing atmosphere of hot Mogadishu, good acting performances (especially Eric Bana and Ewan McGregor), this is a classic must-see for fans of American films. To all this must be added the excellent soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, the great camera and Ridley Scott, who knows how to do action scenes like few others. Only the aforementioned thought-awkwardness and occasional confusion can be criticized... but as a gritty war-themed action movie... why not... That's all I'd look for. ()

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J*A*S*M 

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English A very well made borefest. There are moments when Black Hawk Down is a very intense portrayal of the hell of war, but as the minutes went by, the constant shooting (together with the alternating heroic or terrified speeches) began to bore me and by the end I was watching it with only one eye. It was too descriptive for my taste, I prefer more narrative movies. ()

lamps 

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English Scott is like a chameleon, give him a genre, and he'll make you an unforgettable cinematic gem. He's done it with Alien and with Gladiator, and now with the story of an elite military unit in the middle of the Somali inferno. This is no intellectual epic or hidden metaphor, it's simply two and a half hours of the best, most realistic and best filmed action imaginable. ()

Othello 

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English About 15 American soldiers and give or take a bajillion Somalis die in the film, with the focus on the dying Americans occupying over twenty minutes of the film in total and the shots of the dying Somalis about 40 seconds. I didn't care about any of the characters (okay, except Sizemore, but I knew nothing would happen to him), and I didn't care about the heroes throwing grenades in exactly the same shot as the athletes throwing the javelin in Triumph of the Will. Of course, I don't give a shit, and I pretty much welcome recruitment films, because then there'll be enough material for more movies about botched military actions that can be handled by someone like Ridley Scott and I’ll be able to sit there for two and a half hours, snorting loudly with delight and thanking God that there are so many Somalis that the movie will still take over an hour. There were certain passages where I seriously considered sending my fellow viewer home, user Marla Singer, because I was jealous of the fact that she was watching the film in Blu-ray quality with me. The incredible gradation of some of the scenes, the perfectionist work with the shot, the well-used filters, the surprisingly slower editing, the believable brutality. War is beautiful. ()

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