NYT MOVIE REVIEW | 'BLACK HAWK DOWN' Mission of Mercy Goes Bad in Africa

Black Hawk Down" has such distinctive visual aplomb that its jingoism starts to feel like part of its atmosphere. Establishing mood through pictorial means is the director Ridley Scott's most notable talent. There may be no working director more accomplished at wringing texture out of the color blue than the prodigious and now prolific Mr. Scott; you'd swear that with his dazzling washes of blues and sand tones, he was inventing additional hues on the spot. Because Mr. Scott's eye delivers so much information, he then is at a loss to give the material a proper emotional grounding. "Black Hawk Down" is like Mr. Scott's "G.I. Jane" but this time with an all-boy cast.

Sam Shepard, as Major General Garrison, seems to be smoking a Montecristo No. 2 primarily so that billowing clouds of Cuban smoke can register in the war room; it doesn't help that the cigar has been given as much characterization as anyone in the movie. There are plot flags visible beside Old Glory. As in "Pearl Harbor," the battle in "Black Hawk Down" is an eye-catching misfire, color-coordinated down to the tracer rounds.

The film, whose title refers to downed military helicopters, dramatizes the failed United States mission to help relieve famine in Mogadishu, Somalia, late in 1992 by securing supply routes against Somali militias. Several hundred Somalis and 18 American soldiers lost their lives the next year in what was called the Battle of the Black Sea. The film was adapted from the best-selling account by Mark Bowden, which stacked up detail; Mr. Scott's slathering of visual elements is the pictorial correlative of the author's work.

The producer Jerry Bruckheimer seems to have been making Ridley Scott movies his entire career, but this is the first time he and Mr. Scott have collaborated. Tony Scott, Mr. Ridley's twin brother, teamed with Mr. Bruckheimer on movies like "Top Gun," the gold — or rather gold-filled — standard for incoherent militaristic propaganda. "Black Hawk Down" is "Top Gun" on an all-protein diet. The soldiers, mostly ground troops, are much leaner than Tom Cruise was in that 1986 film, though they grin just as righteously.

The movie quickly sketches the broad parameters for the story: American troops, in Mogadishu as part of a United Nations peacekeeping effort, plan to kidnap members of the inner circle of Gen. Muhammad Farah Aidid, the Somali warlord. Lean, lissome white soldiers with teeth pearlier than their eyes prowl the streets looking to do damage — all except sad-eyed Sergeant Eversmann (Josh Hartnett), who smiles shyly and says he wants to make a difference. The vibrating melancholy of Hans Zimmer's score communicates the futility of Eversmann's proclamation. And when two helicopters are brought down and the mission is converted into a rescue, things get worse than anyone could have imagined.

"Black Hawk Down" wants to be about something, and in the midst of the meticulously staged gunfire, the picture seems to choose futility arbitrarily. The handsomely staged gunplay and explosions, rigorously matched to exacting Dolby Digital in selected theaters, abound, while a cast of non-American actors like Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom try out their Yankee soldier accents, with vowels so oddly enunciated that you expect them to be singled out as foreign spies. Again, Mr. Scott spot-welds his extraordinary painterly application of talent to video game detachment; his "Gladiator" looked like a Playstation 2 product designed by Bruegel. But the mercilessness here is gruesome.

In "Black Hawk Down," the lack of characterization converts the Somalis into a pack of snarling dark-skinned beasts, gleefully pulling the Americans from their downed aircraft and stripping them. Intended or not, it reeks of glumly staged racism. The only African-American with lines, Specialist Kurth (Gabriel Casseus), is one of the American soldiers who want to get into the middle of the action; his lines communicate his simplistic gung-ho spirit. His presence in this military action raises questions of racial imbalance that "Black Hawk Down" couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge, let alone answer.

To make some obvious points about Western interests in oil, this picture imitates a few scenes in David O. Russell's remarkable 1999 war picture "Three Kings," where the context was not sacrificed to politics. In "Black Hawk Down," though, the backhanded attempt to provide the most minimal of contexts seems glib, as does Mr. Scott's skillful and facile handling of the action sequences, which supply an undeniably visceral excitement.

The actors are mostly called upon for the kind of "it's a man's man's man's man's world" sloganeering before heading off to fight that characterizes most Bruckheimer films: dated martial wisecracks of the "Let's rock 'n' roll" variety. (When Sean Connery coughed, "Good to go" in "The Rock," it was the death knell of hip-hop as we know it.)

It's tiring to watch the actors, many of whom have appeared spouting these lines in previous Bruckheimer productions, doing the same thing; they're like rowdy guys who were left behind in Movie Star High School. This unintentional repetition fits, since sitting through the accomplished but meaningless "Black Hawk Down" is like being trapped in an action film version of "Groundhog Day," condemned to sit through the same carnage over and over.

"Black Hawk Down" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian) for a barrage of violence, dismemberment and mayhem, and the usual accompanying panicked strong language.

Directed by Ridley Scott; written by Ken Nolan, based on the book with that title by Mark Bowden; director of photography, Slawomir Idziak; edited by Pietro Scalia; music by Hans Zimmer; production designer, Arthur Max; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Mr. Scott; released by Columbia Pictures. Running time: 143 minutes. This film is rated R.

WITH: Josh Hartnett (Eversmann), Ewan McGregor (Grimes), Tom Sizemore (McKnight), Eric Bana (Hoot), William Fichtner (Sanderson), Ewen Bremner (Nelson), Sam Shepard (Garrison), Gabriel Casseus (Kurth), Kim Coates (Wex), Hugh Dancy (Schmid), Ron Eldard (Durant), Ioan Gruffudd (Beales), Thomas Guiry (Yurek), Charlie Hofheimer (Smith), Danny Hoch (Pilla), Jason Isaacs (Steele), Zeljko Ivanek (Harrell), Glenn Morshower (Matthews), Jeremy Piven (Wolcott), Brendan Sexton III (Kowalewski), Johnny Strong (Shughart), Richard Tyson (Busch) and Orlando Bloom (Blackburn).

here is a review from the best movie preview site on the web (in my opinion).

Coming Attractions

December 16, 2001... An extremely positive review for Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down has been sent to CA from an indivividual who read Mark Bowden's book. Our reviewer, codenamed "The Grit", says Scott's picture lives up to its promise and is an extremely faithful adaptation from the book.

Their review contains both SPOILER and non-spoiler sections. We have marked off the SPOILERS so you have to swipe the space with your cursor. "My buddy is on the AFI voting board and got me into a screening of Black Hawk Down in Santa Monica last week. We were told they were still finishing some effects and the temp score was from Hans Zimmer.

"First off let me say that after having read Mark Bowden's excellent book, my expectations of this film were primarily of the "I hope it doesn't suck too much" brand. The trailers were okay -- The fact that Bruckheimer was producing scared me. Pearl Harbor was the antithesis of what I hoped this movie would be.

"The fact that Ridley Scott was directing gave me hope. What worried me the most was the probability of the film being 'Hollywood-ized' considering the book jumps from so many characters, locations and actions in a very short amount of time. Also, this is one of the best books I have ever read. I went in hoping for something mediocre...

"Holy crap this movie is good.

"This film is absolutely flawless in its beat-for-beat, word-for-word adaptation of the book. There is not a moment or a line in the film that is not in the book or that didn't, for that matter, actually occur. The directing is top notch with Scott's meticulous detail -- the weapons, vehicles, uniforms, military movements, everything is exact. The performances are excellent primarily because none of the actors are given anything to say or do that is not exactly what was actually said and done. Therefore, everyone's performance has a very cool, kinda understated effect. We're not with anyone too long. No one is set up for us to like especially so when they die we feel bad. Everyone is given equal creedence.

"The Rangers are portrayed as they were -- young, kinda excited at first, and then seriously over their head. I never thought I say this, but Josh Hartnett, in particular was great. As Eversmann, the leader of Chalk four, this kid is actually beleivable, not to mention being a dead ringer for the real Eversmann. Sizemore I could do without in another war movie -- or so I thought -- but as Col. McKnight, he is well cast and not as overbearing as his Saving Private Ryan role. Ewan McGregor plays Specialist Stebbins although I think his name was Grimes in the film. He was cool -- though traces of his accent peek through at times.

"The Delta troopers in particular are portrayed as cool as I've seen special forces portrayed in film. The only visible difference between them and the Rangers is their black helmets. They are a bit distant with very few lines, but they CLEARLY know what they are doing and the Rangers look to them for support once the shit hits the fan -- about fifteen minutes in. William Fichtner and Eric Bana stand out as SERIOUS badasses, but they are never portrayed as a 'check me out how cool am I?' kind of character. Also on Delta is the dude who played Buddy in Three-o-clock High, one of the badguys from The Last Boy Scout (never thought I'd see him in a good movie) and a few other guys.

"The battle is shot incredibly and avoids (thank God) the current trend of shakey-cam Saving Private Ryan style camera work. None of that 'too-fast-to-know-what's-going-on' stuff from the beginning of Gladiator. The effects, apparently temporary were fine -- nothing overtly graphic, nothing looked too CGI. Lots of RPGs and machine gun fire. Very little room to breathe.

"I read that Ridley Scott got military backing on this -- if so -- it shows. He's got everything exact from the book -- the insertion with four Blackhawks and four Little Birds is amazing just to look at -- eight choppers in one shot??? The fast roping down to the street is crazy -- dust flying everywhere -- people yelling -- shots already coming it.

"Honestly this movie blew me away. I would suggest that everyone read this book first -- the fact that the movie adheres so stringently to the non fiction book is what makes this film so good. There are lines in the film that, had they not been actually spoken, might ring as phony, but they are absolutely real. The script by Ken Nolan, Bowden, and Steve Zaillain manages to include just about every interesting moment from the book -- For me the book had parts that were hard to keep track of -- moments when characters seperated by a few stone walls seemed to be a world apart -- the movie clearly shows you where everyone is and why.

'This film does not impose a point of view into the story. No 'what are we doing in Somalia' kinda stuff -- it did not include that dreaded shot of some poor Somalian kid getting shot with a Ranger standing over him where we're all supposed to think about how horrible this all is -- no slow-mo American flag waving -- nope, none of that -- this thing sticks to the facts and comes off as an extremely patriotic movie without trying to because, even though we had the guns -- they had the numbers -- and when the Rangers and Delta get stuck -- man -- all you want is for these poor guys to get the hell out of this god forsaken place as fast and as safely as possible.

"Spoilers -- anyone who has read the book will recognize these scenes, but this stuff for me was particularly awesome to actually see on film:

1. In the beginning, almost in passing, Bana's Delta character goes hunting for boars with a Blackhawk. 2. When Specialist... can't remember his name... when that one Ranger kid gets shot in the leg and the medic has to read up through the wound into his pelvis to try to find his artery to stop the bleeding.

3. When the Ranger driving the Humvee with Col. McKnight (Sizemore) gets blinded by an RPG flash and McKnight has to steer and tells him to simply "keep his foot on the gas".

4. When the two Delta snipers demand that General Garrison (Sam Sheperd) let them go down to attempt to singlehandedly fend of the crowds circling the second crash sight. (The CMH winners). These guys get on the ground and it's like a video game -- like Space Invaders -- the crowd is just surging at them and they have to keep shooting them point blank to keep them away. One shoots while the other is reloading -- one of the most, if not the most intense moments I have ever seen in a war movie.

5. When a Delta operator (Fitchner) has to lead a team of Rangers to the second crash sight.

6. Blackhawks broadcasting over a PA to captured pilot, Mike Durant, that they have not forgotten him and will get him out.

7. When, at the end, the coolest part of the film and book -- the Delta operator played by Eric Bana suits back up, woofs down some food and heads back into the city to keep fighting with the rest of Delta.

"Also, I found it interesting that all the names in the film are accurate from the book except the Delta operators who did not die in the fight -- kinda cool, considering the nature of their confidentiality. This movie WILL, without a doubt be nominated for best picture. Absolutely. I usually like three or four films a year and am a working screenwriter out here and I have got to say, quite honestly, that this is the best film I have seen since American Beauty and Three Kings.

"I thought it would be a cold day in hell before Jerry Bruckheimer won an Oscar, but he just may do it with this. This thing takes hold of you, bends you over and just gives it to you straight and hard for two hours. I've seen the history channel's documentary about the incident and this film could replace it -- it is that accurate and that detailed. If I could personally thank Ridley Scott for making this I would. READ THE BOOK first!!! I know I seem a little freaked about this but I can't react in any other way. I'm pissed no one else as seen this -- I can't get all goo-goo with anyone about how badass it is. Jeez -- and to think I thought Hollywood forgot how to make awesome movies..."

Here's a review from Slant magazine:

Black Hawk Down may be a rip-roaring, jingoistic ad for the Army but it's considerably no where as offensive as the "be all that you can be" schematics of Behind Enemy Lines. Yeah, its history is remiss: without the opening title cards, you probably wouldn't even know the film is based on a true story.

It's 1993 and good ol' American boys have been sent to Mogadishu to get rid of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Ridley Scott's them-against-us war procedural is about as relentless as Saving Private Ryan but without the bullshit plot, hokey dialogue and in-your-face flag-waving. Black Hawk Down's two-hour-plus bullet parade is effectively mind-numbing, as it should be for a film that honors an 18-hour non-stop reconnaissance mission.

A white cross (made out of masking tape) is placed atop a Somali spy's car; it's a visual aide for the Americans and the impetus for the film's single most effective set piece (it's so good you'd swear Ridley borrowed it from brother Tony).

Scott never gives an emotional face to the Somali warrior; it may seem like a cheap dodge-tactic but the film's American boys also remain relatively faceless. While Black Hawk Down has nothing on The Thin Red Line's war-is-hell existentialism, Scott's battlefield is still a gripping one.

There's no plot here per say, no individual agendas, no archetypes a la the bungling moralist from Ryan. The closest thing to an individual spotlight seems to hover over Ewan McGregor's John Grimes and Josh Hartnett's Matt Eversman; the former is a coffee-loving desk company clerk who wants to fight while the latter is an idealist yet to taste the reality of war.

When Somali evil is visible, it become difficult to swallow with all the slow-mo ceiling fans, Cuban cigar smoke and ludicrous native chants. The tag lines may be gratuitous ("It's what you do right now that makes a difference") but Black Hawk Down is about as awesome a video game war epic can get sans philosophical discussions (see Sam Fuller's Steel Helmet or The Big Red One for that).

Still, the star here may very well be Hans Zimmer's score, stunningly complimenting the evocative descent on Mogadishu. Thankfully low on the drums and bugles, Zimmer's orchestrations are so drunk on kinetic synthesizers and violins that the film all but turns into a techno war epic (minus Franka Potente's Lola). Black Hawk Down is punishing, worth taking in solely for being less entertaining than your usual Bruckheimer dud.

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