It was Sunday, October 3, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia when one hundred and forty US soldiers attempted to apprehend members of a warlord’s faction. All hell broke loose.
It would seem that in the spirit of nationalism this heavy film won’t be taken lightly. There is good and bad in the directing. Ridley Scott sets up a sure rush of adrenalin, and sets us up well for each and every ounce of pain. And the fight scenes are so awash in disarray that you can either guess Scott is trying to show us just how unorganized war really is or just how unorganized his direction is. Even worse is the fact that this movie seems to be done without any cause, though if you read the opening and closing titles written after September 11th you’d think otherwise. It seems to me those added titles were nothing more than an attempt to uplift our spirits more and try to engage us in this inane escapade.
There is something to say about the great cinematography. It’s stunning and almost painful to watch as it is depicted. It’s not on the caliber of Saving Private Ryan, but close. You can’t take that away.
We love our country, of this there is no question, but this is like making a movie on Vietnam and showing one scene where America totally kicks ass, leaving out the big picture. That’s what has been done here, unfortunately. Somalia was no different. We accomplished nothing but lost lives. Sure, a few lives were saved, but all in all, this mission was a fatal mistake and you never get that feeling from Black Hawk Down. It’s all about ego, it’s all about chest thumping testosterone, not about being true and accurate and honest. That is unfortunate because we learn as much from our mistakes as we do from our victories. Hopefully something will be learned from this film’s mistakes.
+ charlie craine
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