23 replies to this topic

[Blofeld's Cat]

I have just seen this for the first time today.

STAGGERING!

It has now replaced "Apocalypse Now" as my all-time favourite war movie!

Ridley Scott IS a visual master to rival Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, or Cecil B. de Mille (sp?).

ASTONISHING!

[rafterman]

I didn't like it. As a war movie, it's nothing more than a simple recreation...give me Full Metal Jacket any day....

[Blue Eyes]

Yeah I have to agree with you on this one BC, a great movie! A great war flick incorporating a very human element.

One thing that surprised me thought was the rating. It got MA 15+ out here despite an extremely graphic content. For instance, the napalm scene and the guy who ends up in the stretcher minus the skin on his legs. Very graphic.

[Loomis]

I have just seen this for the first time today.

STAGGERING!

It has now replaced "Apocalypse Now" as my all-time favourite war movie!

Ridley Scott IS a visual master to rival Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, or Cecil B. de Mille (sp?).

ASTONISHING!

Well, BC, if you're up for a discussion of BLACK HAWK DOWN two years on (and judging by your praise of the film, I suspect you will be)....

Saw about half of it on DVD recently before switching off, profoundly bored. Terrific production design and cinematography, yes, but that's about it. As usual with Scott, what we have is a picture that looks stunning yet is terribly dull thanks to the director's apparent lack of interest in characterisation. He seems to believe that if you splice together enough artily-shot footage of impressive-looking men and machines a story will tell itself.

It's all very simple: Josh Hartnett is saintly, Ewan McGregor struggles with an American accent, Eric Bana is mean and moody, Sam Shepard is yer typical tough-but-decent commanding officer, Tom Sizemore is (as ever) Tom Sizemore.... but we're never given reasons to care about them, or even about their mission. Somalia is just another canvas for Scott's self-indulgence, the characters there purely because, well, you have to have some characters in a movie, don't you? (I suspect that Scott views actors in much the same way as George Lucas does - if possible, it would be nice to make a film without them.) The downing of the Black Hawk packs no emotional punch whatsoever.

If you like "technique", you'll love this film. If "feeling" is your bag, look elsewhere. We have a beautiful shot of a Muslim at prayer as the Americans go into action, which shot is included only because it's, well, beautiful. It doesn't actually mean or tell us anything. Is the guy praying for the American mission in Somalia to succeed and bring peace, or to fail and ensure the survival of the status quo? I'm sure Scott neither knows nor cares. He's interested purely in spectacular visuals, and couldn't give a stuff about the motivations of the people in his films. The effect of watching BLACK HAWK DOWN is akin to that of flicking aimlessly through a coffee table book of warzone photography. You're left with the feeling of having seen something about combat, without having actually learned anything, least of all the historical and political context of the fighting.

We hear Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" as the doomed chopper takes off from its base. Hendrix, eh? Not exactly original, indeed a bit of a cliche, but wait.... this version is by Stevie Ray Vaughan - who died in a helicopter crash! Wow, how very clever.

A soulless, tedious picture that I probably won't finish unless I read some very good arguments in its favour. BLACK HAWK DOWN compares to an intelligent and emotionally shattering film about soldiers and combat like FULL METAL JACKET as my flat compares to Buckingham Palace.

And for heaven's sake, keep Scott away from Bond. He'd make something so empty and pompous as to make THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH look as good as GOLDFINGER.

Mind you, I was impressed by Orlando Bloom's performance. I genuinely think he'd be a great 007.

[Harmsway]

As usual with Scott, what we have is a picture that looks stunning yet is terribly dull thanks to the director's apparent lack of interest in characterisation. He seems to believe that if you splice together enough artily-shot footage of impressive-looking men and machines a story will tell itself.

You should check out Scott's Matchstick Men. It's all about the characters and breaks out of the typical Ridley Scott mold.

I'll agree on Black Hawk Down. It's nothing great. There's some great intense action, but nothing that makes this an awesome war picture. The only films that I truly love of Scott's are Alien and Gladiator. Alien is an indisputable classic, and Gladiator is a true epic in the old film style (and epics in the old film style didn't have that much characterization to begin with, so it was a natural fit).

[DLibrasnow]

I wasn't that impressed by the movie...I actually found it quite boring.

[Loomis]

What I liked about this movie it didn't take any sides

Didn't it? The impression I got from the get-go was: Somali government/militia = bad, US military = good (and heroic).

[Jim]

Good looking but utterly hollow.

That might overqualify him for Bond, frankly.

[hrabb04]

As much as I liked Black Hawk Down, We Were Soldiers was a hell of a lot better.

[Qwerty]

I have just seen this for the first time today.

STAGGERING!

It has now replaced "Apocalypse Now" as my all-time favourite war movie!

Ridley Scott IS a visual master to rival Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, or Cecil B. de Mille (sp?).

ASTONISHING!

It's a fair film on the whole. Lots of well put together scenes, at times it seems to go nowhere though.

Overall, I'd put it on the positive side of a scale, it's not that bad.

[00-FAN008]

Love this movie! Top spot on my list!

THIS IS A MUST-SEE EXPERIENCE.

[Qwerty]

I don't know about being a must see. There are a great number of war movies out there now, they keep seem to be making more. This one, while revolving around a plot, doesn't seem to have focus all the way through.

IMO of course.

[00-FAN008]

I could watch this film again and again. It's graphic, the battle scenes are very well portrayed, and you can't help but feel remorse for all those soldiers who were sent in there with faulty intelligence.
"We Were Soldiers" is also an excellent movie, very much like Black Hawk Down, only more graphic and less fabricated. I don't mean that Black Hawk Down was fabricated, but some of the characters in that movie were ficticious (Eric Bana, Josh Hartnett*). Someone said earlier that "We Were Soldiers" is better, and I would have to agree, but I could only watch that one so many times due to the graphic napalm scene. Shudder!










*I think!

Edited by 00-FAN008, 11 August 2004 - 08:37 PM.

[Qwerty]

I could watch this film again and again. It's graphic, the battle scenes are very well portrayed, and you can't help but feel remorse for all those soldiers who were sent in there with faulty intelligence.

At times, I feel the action scenes are overpowering and too much.

Nothing overtly problomatic though.

[Loomis]

I'll say one thing for BLACK HAWK DOWN: it's an excellent "one-stop" showcase for several actors said to be potential Bonds. It features:

Ewan McGregor

Jason Isaacs

Eric Bana

Matthew Marsden

Orlando Bloom

Ioan Gruffudd

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

I have just seen this for the first time today.

STAGGERING!

It has now replaced "Apocalypse Now" as my all-time favourite war movie!

Ridley Scott IS a visual master to rival Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, or Cecil B. de Mille (sp?).

ASTONISHING!

That's what I said the first time i saw it...

But after viewing the film again and again, I had second thoughts about it. It didn't effect me as much as THE DEER HUNTER or APOCALYPSE NOW. It's an effective movie, with a great cast, and stylized direction by Ridley Scott. A solid film.

[00-FAN008]

I'll say one thing for BLACK HAWK DOWN: it's an excellent "one-stop" showcase for several actors said to be potential Bonds. It features:

Ewan McGregor

Jason Isaacs

Eric Bana

Matthew Marsden

Orlando Bloom

Ioan Gruffudd

Man, that's true! But that's not the reason it's a great film.

[00-FAN008]

One thing that surprised me thought was the rating. It got MA 15+ out here despite an extremely graphic content. For instance, the napalm scene and the guy who ends up in the stretcher minus the skin on his legs. Very graphic.

That was from "We Were Soldiers", not "Black Hawk Down".

[Tarl_Cabot]

I have just seen this for the first time today.

STAGGERING!

It has now replaced "Apocalypse Now" as my all-time favourite war movie!

Ridley Scott IS a visual master to rival Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, or Cecil B. de Mille (sp?).

ASTONISHING!

Watch the DVD extras and especially the Eric bana interviews...those Bond-Bana rumours don't seem so ridiculous!

I do love Black Down too. Better than Saving Private Ryan and perhaps my favorite war movie.

[Qwerty]

I'll say one thing for BLACK HAWK DOWN: it's an excellent "one-stop" showcase for several actors said to be potential Bonds. It features:

Ewan McGregor

Jason Isaacs

Eric Bana

Matthew Marsden

Orlando Bloom

Ioan Gruffudd

Man, that's true! But that's not the reason it's a great film.

LOL! Yes indeed. All of those seem to have been mentioned alot except for Marsden.

[Blofeld's Cat]

I have just seen this for the first time today.

STAGGERING!

It has now replaced "Apocalypse Now" as my all-time favourite war movie!

Ridley Scott IS a visual master to rival Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, or Cecil B. de Mille (sp?).

ASTONISHING!

Well, BC, if you're up for a discussion of BLACK HAWK DOWN two years on (and judging by your praise of the film, I suspect you will be)....

Are you searching old threads looking for arguments now, Loomis?

When I made my comments I was still under the influence of seeing the movie for the first time and I'm not one for analysing a movie I see too much, but I pretty much stand by now what I said then.

Still a great film in my opinion, although now reflecting back on it, it is a tad confusing sorting out all the characters under their helmets.

I'm a big fan of Ridley Scott so I really should get the DVD.

[Icephoenix]

I love Black Hawk Down, I think it is a fantastic piece of work. It is visually stunning (I love when the shots of the choppers headng towards the market via the coastline), and had quite a few moment that make you feel something, ie: when the Black Hawk crew are being dragged through the streets.

While Apocalypse Now is still my favourite war film...

1: Apocalypse Now
2: Saving Private Ryan
3: Black Hawk Down

[Tanger]

A great film IMO. In fact, I was considering giving it another watch as I haven't seen it all the way through in ages. I got the DVD when It first cam out and then I did some analysis work on the film, conventions and techniques wise, in Media Studies. That was about a year ago though. I think I'm due for a rewatch.

[Qwerty]

I love Black Hawk Down, I think it is a fantastic piece of work. It is visually stunning (I love when the shots of the choppers headng towards the market via the coastline), and had quite a few moment that make you feel something, ie: when the Black Hawk crew are being dragged through the streets.

While Apocalypse Now is still my favourite war film...

1: Apocalypse Now
2: Saving Private Ryan
3: Black Hawk Down

Interesting rankings. I don't know if I can pick a favorite war film. There's the newer ones such as The Patriot and Black Hawk Down, or some of the older ones. I recently saw, I believe it's called Gettysburg, which was interesting, but slightly overlong.