Black Hawk Down
Review
by : Gareth Von Kallenbach
Starring:
Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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When I used to teach History, I used to be asked by my students
why it was important to know history since it was nothing
but events in the past. When asked this question, I would
mention that if one remains ignorant of what had happened
before, one might be doomed to repeat it. I used the recent
conflict in Bosnia that was spurred on by the Horrors of World
War II, and the need to make sure that people are protected
from ethnic violence as an example.
While
many students saw the wisdom in this answer, it is a shame
that history has a sad way of repeating itself. Take the case
of the current conflict in Afghanistan, as our forces are
engaged in a battle to capture and topple an individual who
has caused suffering and death amongst millions of people,
it is all to familiar to those of us who were in the Armed
forces in the early 90's. Just as the conflict with Iraq was
winding down, reports of widespread deaths and abuses in the
nation of Somalia were reported. The local warlords had started
an all out battle for power, and 300,000 people had been killed
and scores more were starving and suffering. The world poured
in relief supplies only to learn that the items were being
confiscated upon arrival by the top Somalian warlord Mohamed
Farrah Aidid and his followers.
Unwilling
to stand aside and let this continue, The United States sent
in troops to assist the UN troops in restoring order and bringing
Aidiad and his men to justice.
In the
film "Blackhawk Down", director Ridley Scott has combined
with action producer Jerry Bruckheimer to bring the true story
of the battle of Mogadishu that took place on October 3rd
1993. The film is based on the book by Mark Bowden and tells
the story of the elite soldiers that were sent on a mission
to capture top officials of Aidiad as they met for a meeting.
What started as a textbook mission soon became a nightmare
when two Blackhawk helicopters were shot down, and the soldiers
found themselves separated and cut off as they attempted to
rescue crash survivors and accomplish their mission. Filmed
on location in Moracco, the film centers on a group of men
many facing combat for the first time. Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann,
(Josh Hartnett), is the young soldier taking command of combat
troops for the first time, Grimes (Ewan McGregor) is a soldier
who has spent his time behind a desk and now gets to taste
combat, Gen. William Garrison (Sam Shepard), is a leader who
cares for his men but is pressured by the military brass to
bring and end to the conflict, Lt. Colonel McKnight (Tom Sizemore),
is a officer who gets things done and makes sure his men are
taken care of. There are a number of other characters and
while lesser, they are every bit as important to the mission
as the men commanding them.
The film
is a fascinating look into an event that got little coverage
in the media at the time. The aftermath of the mission left
18 Soldiers dead, 73 wounded and hundreds of Somalians dead
as the planned one-hour mission became a fifteen-hour standoff.
Several city blocks of controlled population descended upon
the men and the crash sites with the goal of killing or capturing
the soldiers and getting the technology in the Blackhawks.
By following the strict leave no soldier behind policy, the
troops constantly re-entered dangerous areas, even when safely
clear of the fighting in order to retrieve their comrades.
While heroic, this caused even more casualties as wounded
men continued to fight and worsen their injuries.
Blackhawk
shows the true horror of combat, as the action is intense
and graphic. It also avoids many of the soldier clichés of
most war films. Aside from a new recruit that viewers are
sure is about to get in over his head, the men are a diverse
and unique bunch. The men are regular people who are doing
a job they were asked to do. The biggest problem with the
film is that it is long, and Scott's pacing at times makes
the film plod and drag out. Another issue I had with the film
is that due to the short hair, the blood, and the dirt, on
the cast, it was very difficult to tell many of the actors
apart and this hindered forming an attachment to various soldiers
as many of them became faceless grunts.
That being
said, the film was enjoyable and very informative. With a
bit of editing this movie could have been a fast paced action
film with substance and story. As it stands now, it is a long,
slow, and at times interesting look into a tragic event that
paved the way for the removal of American troops from the
region.
Gareth
Von Kallenbach
Gareth@nwlink.com
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