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Black Hawk Down [VHS] [2002]
 
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Black Hawk Down [VHS] [2002]

VHS ~ Josh Hartnett|Ewan McGregor
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Josh Hartnett|Ewan McGregor
  • Directors: Ridley Scott
  • Language English, Somali
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Columbia Tristar
  • VHS Release Date: 13 Jan 2003
  • Run Time: 144 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005U8P2
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 8,131 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Beginning with a quote from T.S. Elliott--"All our ignorance brings us closer to death"--the hope that Black Hawk Down will offer an intelligent war film to a world after September 11, 2001 is high. Based on a true story which led to a bestselling book, the film focuses on the 1993 American mission to Somalia which went terribly wrong. To a certain extent it succeeds with its opening promise, but all too quickly falls under the spell of American national pride--possibly the reason why the film was brought forward from its original release date. One might hope that with a British director, Ridley Scott, and a high percentage of British and Australian actors on board, Black Hawk Down would present an outsider's view on the American politics of war, but produced by the team who brought us Pearl Harbor the end result is a traditional American-Heroic war movie, relying more on special effects, gore and gun battles than character, emotion and politics.

In its favour Black Hawk Down does make an attempt to represent the views of the Somalian people. In one of its strongest scenes, a high-powered Somalian gun seller states; "This is our war not yours", but by the end of the film it's clear that this is merely a token gesture towards a non-Western perspective on the conflict. Many American soldiers lost their lives during this battle, and this movie is a fine tribute to these amazing men in one of the first big-budget films to expose modern Warfare.

As far as top billing goes, Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor hold no greater role than the rest of the cast. The standout performance comes from Ewen Bremner, who offers an unexpectedly comic turn against the bleak backdrop; but otherwise the limited character development highlights one of the film's main issues--that although these men are fighting for their country, when on the battlefield they stand together and no man is more important than any other (unless you're on the wrong side!). --Nikki Disney

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Customer Reviews

114 Reviews
5 star:
 (69)
4 star:
 (26)
3 star:
 (9)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (114 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty modern warfare, 22 Jun 2008
By Hugh Garske (Maidenhead, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Black Hawk Down (2 Disc Set) [2002] [DVD] (DVD)
A stampede of adrenaline that could be listed amongst the top 20 great war films. As over a hundred rangers and delta ops invade a hornets nest we watch the unfolding events as the longer they're there the more the nest bites back.

There was talk of dressing up other helicopter models to look like blackhawks due to it being awkward to get the real thing but thank goodness they did it properly as the realism is what grabs you from the start with this movie. By the end of it you feel as though you need to kick off your boots, take a swig from your canteen, and get the bandaids out.

The acting is superb from everyone. If there's one gripe I've got with this movie it's that there are so many class actors with similar haircuts amongst the roller coaster action that's it's very difficult to follow who's who. But then that's where the extra viewings come in of which a couple may be required. All of them are worth it though.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Portrayal of a Desperate Situation, 9 Aug 2002
By A. Lee (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Black Hawk Down (2 Disc Set) [2002] [DVD] (DVD)
I wasn't a fan of war movies, having found them too much 'Hollywood' and not enough truth. Black Hawk Down doesn't fit this category at all. It's a visceral, non-stop, brutal account of what must have seemed like hell on earth. After seeing the movie I read the book and was both amazed and pleased to see that the movie did actually follow the book wherever possible, with little glamourisation added to appease the hollywood action movie buff.

For those of us fortunate enough to have never been in a situation like that, I can only guess that Black Hawk Down gives you some sense of what it must have been like. Barely halfway through the movie I found myself glancing at my watch, not through boredom, but because my heart had been steadily racing for the past 40 minutes and I wondered when the roller-coaster ride of action and horror was actually going to ease off. It doesn't, not until the very end and even then you're left with a sense that it's still waiting to pounce.

Black Hawk Down is not brutal or blood-thirsty just for the hell of it, it aims to depict the truth. Judging by the fact that the US military have apparently made the book compulsory reading for their soldiers, I think you can judge for yourself how accurate this movie is.

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "No one gets left behind, you know that ", 17 July 2007
By Antonio Moncayo (Zaragoza) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: Black Hawk Down (2 Disc Set) [2002] [DVD] (DVD)
This is one of the best war movies ever made and winner of 19 major movie awards.

Ridley Scott went a long way to reproduce the setting of the battle and was lucky to get some nice Black Hawk helicopters , filmed in Rabat , on the other side of Africa , he even used sunsets to represent sunrises, as the sun rises from the sea in Somalia and sets in the sea in Morocco, nice touch.

Is based on the book written by Mark Bowden about the battle of Mogadishu in October 1993 between American forces and nearly everyone in the Bakara market district of the city. The American commander had 2 choices, to leave the helicopter crew behind or fight a battle which could result in the entire American force killed. He chose the latter and lost 19 soldiers, but the movie displays the desperate fight put up by the Americans to remain alive and try to reach the survivors on the helicopter.

Sadly the movie portraits almost exclusively the American side of the story offering no insight on the Somali side.

There are great moment sin the movie thanks to director Ridley Scott and some horrible ones thanks to producer Jerry Bruckheimer with patriotic music and the senseless heroism (young soldier and asthma inhaler)

The action scenes are as real as they can get, as good as Saving private Ryan minus the sound effects and the actors, a mixture of Brits (Ewan McGregor with an unconvincing American accent), Australians and Americans, underwent extensive military training.

The scene when a soldiers dies from a leg wound is very realistic and anyone involved in war surgery would accept that you can not get any more real than that.

The Extras are very interesting including Director Commentaries and deleted scenes, and a web link to the historical website of the battle.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Raw and exhilarating
I started watching this film late at night, and couldn't make myself go to bed. It's a gripping, realistic account of a military fiasco. Read more
Published 14 days ago by William Cohen

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinetic
This is an excellent war film. Since Ridley Scott is involved the "look" is perfect; everything is under a glaring sun or stygian night, the place is alive with bullets, bodies,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Charles Vasey

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome true war story
Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down follows a mission in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia when a supposedly routine, short patrol mission goes wrong and the Rangers along with the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Josh Wright

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Movie, Just Slow
When i bought this movie i was extremely anxious as it had been given fantastic ratings. But when i watched it i didn't get that. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. Adam P. A. Evans

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best
It is one of the best war films i've ever seen. Great story, brilliantly made, great cast (ewan mcgreggor, josh hartnett, eric bana, jason isaacs, to name a few) definitely worth... Read more
Published 8 months ago by S. White

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT DVD
Very good condition,and bonus discs very good about what really happend.A film you can watch again & again.
Published 9 months ago by warren

5.0 out of 5 stars BLOWN AWAY !!
I have seen this film a number of times and ever time I watch I am blown away how good this really is. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jason Thorne

3.0 out of 5 stars An Assault on the Senses
Ridley Scott has frequently come under fire from critics as a director whose visual style overrides any attempt at characterisation, Blade Runner being a case in point. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Eddie

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Nobody gets left behind'
Black Hawk down is a brilliant war movie that follows a team of American special forces & army Rangers as they fight for there lives in the city of Mogadishu for 1 day & night... Read more
Published 18 months ago by T. Glover

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!!
Great film, a refreshing change to this genre of film! Although this film is probably a bit far from the truth it can down as one on the best war films!
Published 19 months ago by Aj

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