Black Hawk Down: War is hell ***

War movies have become a huge part of North American culture and many filmakers, actors and producers have jumped onto this bandwagon to reap the benefits and of course the fans love them too. America has been accused of loving these war movies a little too much making every single movie about war successful at the box office. Some of these films have prevailed as excellent movies but some have just floundered in the midst of junk film making but Black Hawk Down is a surprisingly awesome movie that criticizes war but also pays tribute to America's hero's and yet it never glorifies the violence.

Well first and foremost, you know that whatever Ridley Scott directs is going to be special, the man behind some of the most classic films in the history of hollywood was sent to direct this war epic and that was a very interesting choice. This film is the most graphic war flick since Saving Private Ryan and filled to the top with sprawling action from start to finish. This film starts with the audience meeting a group of American soldiers and we see how they live in the country of Somalia as they try to capture an infamous warlord that has caused the country extreme famine and yes of course this is all based on actual events. The direction of this movie is simple and straightforward, we meet the soldiers, get to know them a little bit, then they fight for their lives, but it's the way we connect with the soldiers and the reality of their situation that makes this movie hit home.

Scott uses his huge ensemble cast to his advantage giving them all unique characters that share the same passion for war and some even have a bigger passion to help this poor country from killing itself. This cast is lead by Srg. Everson (Josh Hartnett) and Josh barely pulls through this one; he acts the most stereotypical way he can but it works and he squeezes out a little bit of emotion at the end that makes his performance passible. As actors go, he's the weakest link in this film, and the movie as a whole is everything but passable. This film takes a little mission and little situation and reaches for the stars and what we get is a rather gruesome and intense depiction of war that pays tribute to those men that lost their lives that day.

The action is stellar, it's gritty, sometimes repulsive and it's electric as bullets whiz around the screen and explosions are numerous. There is a build up to the start of the mission, this build up is rather intense and sweeping shots of the black hawks makes Michael Bay's films look rather lame. When the action hits the screen its awesome and rough around the edges; you're not going to get glossy Bayish crap here, what you get is rough, brutal, war that is rather intense and emotional.

Overall, this movie isn't a sprawling epic like some other war flicks but it achieves what it has strived for bringing brutal and awesome action to the screen and we can sympthasize with these characters as well. The only downside to this movie was giving Josh Hartnett the leading role, maybe getting Ewan the main role would've been a little smarter but Hartnett gives a passable performance. Well Black Hawk Down is a war movie that rises above the crowd because of it`s tribute to war veterans and it`s interesting look at how war never really changes, yeah maybe weapons and commands change, but the art of war has never changed just like Plato said "only the dead have seen the end of war". War is hell.