Posted on 01/18/2002 10:00:04 AM PST by RaceBannon
Ok, after all the hype, I expected a blockbuster of a movie. Sorry, it aint.
How would you rate Blackhawk Down on the violence and language scale?
No, the movie isn't a constant spew of expletives. Those uttered definitely fit the context of the action. As for the violence........it's exactly as the book depicted it. It's bloody, graphic and realistic. Bodies are blow apart, blood squirts, RPG's impale without exploding. Considering the true violence of the actual situation, I think they curbed themselves rather remarkably. I don't know if I'd take a 13 year old to see it or not.
Folks, I'm, no Clinton fan, but MG Garrison thought AC-130 fire support was not appropriate given the urban nature of the area of operations. Also, he felt that armor support would slow down the speed and flexibility of his people on the ground.
I do believe Clinton's Administration had a detachment to the eventsin Somalia, but the decision to not have the AC-130 and other support was made by MG Garrison.
I think BHD was very real, and had set a new standard for realism - what was on the screen tracked fairly well to what happened.
All I could think of during the movie was #@# D&%$ Clinton and Les Aspin for not providing armor and gunship support.
An earlier report on this movie stated that Clinton provided more tanks at Waco than he did in Somalia. I'll ditto that one.
If we send our soldiers into battle, we must provide them with every possible tool to guarantee their success
All I could think of during the movie was #@# D&%$ Clinton and Les Aspin for not providing armor and gunship support.
An earlier report on this movie stated that Clinton provided more tanks at Waco than he did in Somalia. I'll ditto that one.
If we send our soldiers into battle, we must provide them with every possible tool to guarantee their success
Hang in there ,Race.I do the same thing. Ran off a date that way, in fact.
Chances are, tha language I heard during the combat scenes are what I would say in that situation. That doesnt mean it is appropiate for a child under 18.
President William Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C., 20500
October 25, 1993
President Clinton:
As a warrior who was disabled in the Vietnam War and as a father of a warrior killed in action in Somalia, I cannot accept your letter of condolence for the death of my son Ranger Corporal James E. Smith. To accept your letter would be contrary to all the beliefs I, my son and the Rangers hold so dear, including: loyalty, courage and tenacity. During the battle for Anzio, in World War II, an inept indecisive field commander sent the Rangers into battle where they were slaughtered. Fifty years later the Rangers again were ordered into battle, where they were surrounded and outgunned. But this time is was not the fault of the field commanders. No -- this time it was the fault of the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States. Your failure to provide the requested combat support reveals a lack of loyalty to the troops under your command and an extreme shortage of moral courage.
I had the honor to meet the Rangers who fought along side my son and were with Jamie when he died. I heard of magnificent acts of courage and sacrifice. I had Rangers, with tears in their eyes, apologize for letting my son die or their failure to break through and rescue the trapped Rangers. The failure is not theirs, it is yours. Trucks and Humvees cannot replace the requested tanks, armored personnel carriers and Spectre gunships.
As a combat veteran I know that there are no certainties on the battlefield; however, as an Infantry Officer I will always speculate that significantly less casualties would have resulted if you, as Commander in Chief, provided the Rangers with the requested combat support -- equipment with which Rangers routinely train and for which approval should have been automatic. The Rangers were pinned down for twelve hours -- long hours when the Rangers were fighting for their lives and a Delta Force medic fought to save my son. Jamie bled to death because the requested armor support was not there to break through to the Rangers. Rangers pride themselves on the Ranger Creed. "Driving on to the Ranger objective", or "Surrender is not a Ranger word" are not hollow phrases to the men of the black beret. These soldiers understand the word tenacious and wanted to complete their mission. As Ranger after Ranger told me, they were hitting Aidid's forces and command structure hard. But, the United Nations was actually impeding Ranger missions by offering sanctuary to Aidid's supporters. Your willingness to allow this dangerous situation demonstrates a lack of resolve in supporting the men you sent into battle.
My son is no longer here to "Lead the Way"; however, I am.
Until you as President and Commander in Chief are either willing or able to formulate a clear foreign policy, establish specific objectives and, most important, support the men and women in uniform, I will "Lead the Way" in insuring that you no longer send America's finest to a needless death. When you are capable of meeting these criteria, then I will accept you letter of condolence.
Sincerely,
(signature)
James H. Smith Captain/Infantry (Retired)
It wasn't as Hollywood as a lot of other movies, though I agree they played up Grime's affectation for coffee to help him stand out. No one quite stands out in the book, either. The protrayal of General Garrison and Captain Steele struck me as very Hollywood. In th book, Steele comes across as hard, but it's clear he cares for the men in his command. The studio seemed to put bad management vibes on Garrison's character that should have gone to the Administration.
The scene where the soldier is mocking his captain and is caught, FLIPS THE BIRD as he is brought away to be rebuked!! ThAT IS HOLLYWOOD, not courage and bravery. That Captains behaviour was too predictable, also, he was too Holywood hard, too much mean to be real, over acting is the word I am thinking.
I agree. Ironically, I thought the mocking scene was pretty well handled. The captian could have come down hard and thrown the book, but he let the line pups have their fun but making it clear he wouldn't tolerate it in the future. He knew who the cut up was and that, by making an example, he'd probably not get any more trouble in the future. In the book, a lot more is made of the distinction between Delta and the Rangers. In the book, Steele was worried that his privates would pick up some bad habits from Delta operators before they were shaped up into junior noncoms. It's hard to explain adequately in a few paragraphs. The book is better and the movie basically ignores it.
This movie is just THAT. A MOVIE. A documentary would have been a better project, because ths was NOT a documentary at all.
If were weren't in the middle of a campaign against terrorists and their support groups, I'm sure liberals would be howling at the moon over perceived politically incorrect imagery that we see (because it really happened) throughout the film. I thought it would be a Bruckeheimer rah-rah film. I'm glad I was wrong.
If anything, Americans should realize that we have a tough row to hoe. They understand now after 9/11. Before then liberals and reviewers would be wringing their hands over the body count. Remember how upset they were over Starship troopers? Today, it's cool. And I wonder if any liberal reviewer will remark that we call the Somalis "skinnies" in the film while they glow over it!
Regards,
TS
I honestly didn't notice, but it may have. (Golly, I may have to go back and see it again!) Two other British actors (at least) also had noticeable roles in the movie: Orlando Bloom (Legolas in LOTR) as PFC Blackburn and Ewan MacGregor (Young Obiwan on Star Wars) as SP4 Grimes. MacGregor's accent was fine, but Bloom's accent was heavy on the English in the scene where he inprocesses into the Ranger company base.
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