BLACK HAWK DOWN     - A Narada Film Review
   
Action From BLACK HAWK DOWN, Directed by Ridley Scott, Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

     After the withdrawal of American troops from Somalia in 1993, the UNITED NATIONS' follow-on mission was to oversee a shaky peace and to insure delivery of aid to the starving citizenry.  This is a factual account of the American U.N. peace-keeping contingent which unilaterally embarked on a 150-man Delta Force / 11th Mountain mission to capture one of the remaining warlords in the middle of Mogadishu city.  
      Having learned nothing about having a backup plan / backup aircraft from the failed evacuation-rescue attempt in Iran in 1980, the US sent thinly supported airborne assault teams into the middle of the city using Black Hawk and 'Loach' helicopters.  When the first Black Hawk is shot down, the teams' situation turns from bad to shitstorm.
      FULL METAL JACKET   set the standard for realism in combat.  BLACK HAWK DOWN   just raised the bar.   The movie is mostly combat, and by the time viewer leaves the theater, he is exhausted, suffering from mild battle fatigue, and in bad need of a damn strong cup of coffee.
      There are several new and recent faces on the screen - Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Jeremy Piven, Josh Harnett - to name a few.   We can expect to see a lot more of these up-and-comers.   And apart from the occasional hokey 'Hollywood' combat stunt,   BLACK HAWK DOWN   is a seamless entertainment package.
      The US Navy, after reading the storyline, is said to have willingly leased actual Black Hawk helicopters to Bruckheimer, as they believed it would be an ideal aid to recruitment.   I believe it.  Hooah!
       Enduring Line Or Phrase:   "Everyone's shot"

  Reviewed by Narada for Bangkok Eyes - 30 January 2002

  A Black Hawk pilot   who was there.   READ IT FIRST-HAND.

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