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      Black Hawk Down

      R Now Playing 2 hr. 24 min. War Drama TRAILER for Black Hawk Down: Trailer 1 List
      77% 175 Reviews Tomatometer 88% 250,000+ Ratings Audience Score The film takes place in 1993 when the U.S. sent special forces into Somalia to destabilize the government and bring food and humanitarian aid to the starving population. Using Black Hawk helicopters to lower the soldiers onto the ground, an unexpected attack by Somalian forces brings two of the helicopters down immediately. From there, the U.S. soldiers must struggle to regain their balance while enduring heavy gunfire. Read More Read Less Now in Theaters Now Playing Buy Tickets

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      Black Hawk Down

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      Black Hawk Down

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      Critics Consensus

      Though it's light on character development and cultural empathy, Black Hawk Down is a visceral, pulse-pounding portrait of war, elevated by Ridley Scott's superb technical skill.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Dionisis T Quite emotionally powerful as a film, quite boring and certainly with an amazing soundtrack Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/18/24 Full Review K K By far my all-time favorite modern war movie. Instead of portraying US soldiers as an invincible force bringing peace with manifest destiny like many Hollywood blockbusters do, this movie presents the volatility and brutality of ground combat in detail. One thing though, when I first watched this movie, I automatically saw the whole situation from the lens of protagonists and unconsciously rooted for them over menacing local residents. Now think of it, those unkempt and intimidating "ragtags" likely viewed US soldiers as invaders. The contrast of US soldiers leisurely barbecuing in their barracks at the beginning of this movie and the sight of malnourished local child soldiers in cramped huts is ... striking. It really depends on where you stand. Great movie nevertheless. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/06/24 Full Review Max W what a loaded cast. Great action scenes. Had you hooked till the last minute Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/02/24 Full Review Scarface The best war movie ever created. And no it's not Saving Private Ryan. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/24 Full Review Jeff The feeling of battle in this is insane. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/24 Full Review Forged S War movies are always hit and miss. Generally, there's an audience for these types of movies, but opinions can range the gambit from, amazing to completely fictional. One always has to have a suspension of disbelief when watching a movie based on true events or focused on specific career paths, though some require a little more... imagination. As is often the case, this movie has been referred to by many as "fictional." Yet despite that label, the movie is relatively beloved anyways. After rewatching the movie, I can see the reasoning for both. On the one hand, the movie seems to be exceptionally stylized and less worried about historical accuracy, while on the other hand, this choice seems to be intentional, opting to glorify the fog of war as a means to speak to greater humanitarian themes. Watching this movie almost feels like a test of endurance as the action scenes are relentless and intentionally brutal. An interesting choice by the creators was to make the enemy forces feel "faceless," by intentionally casting actors in roles that shared similar physical features. The enemy forces were also purposely given lines in a foreign language without (or minimal) subtitles that only served to dehumanize those characters and heighten the surreal, otherworldly nature of the scenes. The enemies began to feel more like a force of nature rather than individual combatants with personal goals and desires. At times, it felt like I was watching a zombie movie rather than a war movie, especially during a pivital scene when the enemies swarmed the downed helicopter. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Black Hawk Down

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      Critics Reviews

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      Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader I also don't know how well this 2001 drama represents the events of October 3 and 4, 1993, though I can see that it represents them in a realist vein, referring to other war movies without becoming frivolous. Nov 8, 2011 Full Review Richard Schickel TIME Magazine Black Hawk Down makes that point without preachment, in precise and pitiless imagery. And for that reason alone it takes its place on the very short list of the unforgettable movies about war and its ineradicable and immeasurable costs. Nov 8, 2011 Full Review Todd McCarthy Variety A relentless immersion in combat strikingly realized but none too pleasurable to sit through. Jan 2, 2009 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy For the most part, the unflagging sound and fury make it impossible to identify with these characters as individuals, since their primary function seems to be to serve as anonymous slabs of American fortitude. Rated: 2/4 Nov 12, 2023 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies “Black Hawk Down” is an intense, visceral experience. It's gritty action one minute and deeply moving the next. But it never loses sight of its main focus – the soldiers. Rated: 5/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Jim Rohner Battleship Pretension ...arguably the best performance of Josh Hartnett's career... Apr 14, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis The film takes place in 1993 when the U.S. sent special forces into Somalia to destabilize the government and bring food and humanitarian aid to the starving population. Using Black Hawk helicopters to lower the soldiers onto the ground, an unexpected attack by Somalian forces brings two of the helicopters down immediately. From there, the U.S. soldiers must struggle to regain their balance while enduring heavy gunfire.
      Director
      Ridley Scott
      Executive Producer
      Branko Lustig, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Simon West
      Screenwriter
      Mark Bowden, Ken Nolan
      Distributor
      Columbia TriStar Home Video, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Tristar, Cascade Film, Svensk Filmindustri (SF) AB, Revolution Studios
      Production Co
      Columbia Pictures Corporation, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Revolution Studios, Scott Free Productions
      Rating
      R (Intense Realistic War Violence|Intense Graphic War Violence|Language)
      Genre
      War, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jan 18, 2002, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 10, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $108.6M
      Sound Mix
      Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
      Aspect Ratio
      Scope (2.35:1)
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