"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
(Plato)

ADRENALINE PUMPING WAR WHICH RENOUNCES EVERYTHING UNNECESSARY, TO TELL A PURE BLOODBOILING STORY THROUGH THE GREAT VISUALIZATION

Scott described the film as ‘anti-war, but pro-military’ and that is certainly true. There’s no single star-lead protagonist, but a team of individual heroes. There’s no sentimental bullshit; showing the families back home or close-ups of American flags fluttering in the wind. Instead Scott bravely removes these genre clichés and replaces them with the gritty reality of war.

Typically of Scott there’s an incredible attention to detail, with even something as small as a hot shell casing burning a soldier’s skin reflecting the terrors of war. The film is, in every aspect, beautiful in its creation. From the diversified camera angles of Sławomir Idziak’s breathtaking cinematography and the exemplary slow-motion sequences of Pietro Scalia’s edit to the sound team’s elaborate design and Hans Zimmer’s stunning score, Black Hawk Down is a gloriously immersive piece of cinema, a joy to watch and ultimately a masterpiece of its genre.

This really isn't my cup of tea so I'll be brief. The movie is incredibly tense and visceral, although it doesn't quite reach the level of something like Saving Private Ryan. It is also mostly on the right side of its politics with regards to war in general and the Battle of Mogadishu specifically (this half is a bit fuzzier). But for me there's just way too much of this:

Shot: people shooting guns
Reverse-shot: bullets ricocheting off of stuff
Shot: people shooting guns
Reverse-shot: people falling over
Shot: people shooting guns
Reverse-shot: stuff exploding

I don't mean to disparage the film or its fans, I just prefer a different style of action movie.

Ridley Scott Ranked

Man, war looks really, really bad.

From a production perspective, this film is incredible, every shot, the color, the casting, the cigar smoking, everything is top-notch. As for the event itself, if the Somali combatants had just paused and aimed a little, they would have had it over with in half an hour.

just to double check, war is the bad one right

I do love a war movie where the soldiers go "this is going to be easy" and then it's totally not easy.

While the characters often blend together and it clearly doesn't paint people of Somalia in the best of lights, it's so masterfully directed, shot and edited that you can't help but judge it based only on its technicals, because technically speaking, it's kind of a masterpiece.

top 30 favorites:boxd.it/aLi70
this has ok characters, an alright script, and some dumb shit, but it's absolutely every fucking thing i want in a war movie, cool cinematography, a god level sound design, and some of the most AMAZING war scenes ever made, i really don't have alot to say, it's like 2 hours and 40 minutes and the majority of it is just BOOOOOOOOOM BAM BLAM KPOW RATATATATATA, it gets the blood pumping and when watching the action scenes your eyes get like this 👁👄👁 just of how brilliant they are. don't get into this expecting a deep drama, i didn't wanted a deep thing and i didn't had it, this is one of my favorite movies ever.
9.6/10

(oh btw i'm doing this review while hearing the doom eternal soundtrack)

ridley scott has basically no sense of thematic depth or humanity to his films but holy fuck does he know how to make achingly beautiful shots & brutally visceral action sequences. this is a masterclass in sound design & editing, the carnage basically doesn't stop at all after the 20 minute mark, and it's got the muddled ambiguous jingoism that characterizes all the greatest jerry bruckheimer action projects. it also hasn't really aged a day in terms of presentation, the digital effects are still great and the blown-out cinematography has an aggressive, distinct look that hasn't been perfectly replicated to this very day.

is it racist? oh yeah, definitely. but after a certain point, the consummate artistic craft of a work overtakes any petty thematic concerns that something like this pretends to have. it's pure american entertainment, very hypocritical but also undeniable in sheer scope and showmanship. an essential film for the real fucked-up action-junkie lizard-brains out there, like me.

This film covered a skirmish, not a war, a skirmish. It was one of the most gruesome conflicts the U.S. had seen following the Gulf War. It was ONE day. This movie shows how much war sucks, even in the span of less than 24 hours.

watched

Extended

The Filmography Of Ridley Scott - Film #13

No film places you directly within the epicenter of battle for as long as Black Hawk Down. This film has a lot to balance, and yet it manages to achieves so much: a great (yukky) visual style, large scale (and enduring) action sequences that remain engaging throughout - with memorial soldiers who share uncompromising comradeship, in true Bruckheimer fashion.

Ridley Scott does such a good job of immersing you into the gritty reality of war, whilst crafting such captivating imagery throughout (particularly during the film's opening sequence).

This film is one of the best modern warfare films to date -
And is up there with Saving Private Ryan (1998) as my favorite war film.

73.8%
33/85 War Films
letterboxd.com/ilwacocinema/list/war-movies/

Anti-War Film, but Pro-Military Film as described by Ridley Scott. Very accurate.

Turns out this was the Benghazi of the 90s, which therefore makes this Ridley Scott’s “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” but less entertaining because at least in Michael Bay’s movie you can tell who the actors are beneath all the military gear. This is also, dare I say, less effective, less entertaining, and possibly more problematic. And hey, if it makes you feel better I never liked this movie even when it came out.

First act was typical war movie exposition, but as soon as the second act starts, its one hell of a ride.

Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato.
Good. So good.

Were it not for the fact that I recognize virtually every face, I might have forgotten I was watching a movie. Ridley Scott is meticulous in his attention to detail and the result is a harrowing journey into the hell of war. He brings us right into the action, and we can almost smell the smoke and blood. If only he had spent some time humanizing the countless Somali militiamen who died as well.

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

A damning critique of interventionism