| Movie Review of "Black Hawk Down" I consider myself quite a big fan of war movies. I was completely in awe of the opening sequence in �Saving Private Ryan�, although the rest of that movie didn�t really grab my attention. I do like �Full Metal Jacket�, despite how the movie seems to split into two separate stories after Vincent D�Onofrio�s death. �Tigerland� from last year was remarkably good. And there are more, of course. No, not �Pearl Harbor� though, thank you. So I really was quite looking forward to �Black Hawk Down�. I�d seen the trailer � it looked interesting. No matter that it chronicles a sting operation by the US Army gone horribly wrong in Somalia in 1993, something of recent history, and something that most of all actually know about. We all know how it ended, and the consequences that followed in terms of the shift in US foreign policy. Before this movie review magically morphs into International Relations 203, let�s just give a background on the movie. �Black Hawk Down� is directed by Ridley Scott (�Gladiator�, �Hannibal�, �Alien�) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (�Pearl Harbor� and a million other explosive movies). It was originally scheduled for a spring 2002 release, but it got pushed forward to winter 2001, so that it could qualify for Oscar consideration. Because something happened. And you probably know what I�m talking about. Sep 11. Suddenly, war was forcibly thrust upon America. And while I�m not going to make light of the sensitive situation here and comment upon whether the studio was being opportunistic or patriotic, it resulted in big box office for �Black Hawk Down�. The studio also decided that it was of such high quality that it deserved to come to the attention of Oscar voters. And so begs the question : Is it really of such high quality? Yes, it is. If you�re a groundnut, that is. Movie opens with the arid landscape of Somalia (the movie was actually filmed in Morocco, and features no Somalians whatsoever, so from henceforth, the country, as depicted in the film, will be called So-not-lia). In fact, the movie helpfully captions in some large bold font the information that it is 1992 in Somalia, East Africa. You know, as opposed to the Somalia in South America. Damn these foreign countries, having such similar names, confusing the poor American audiences all the time. Who would have thought it was Somalia that was in East Africa instead of, say, Surinam? Thank you, captioners, for clearing that up! Anyway, movie opens with this helicopter (perhaps a Black Hawk, but I watched this so long ago I cannot care anymore) roving overhead a large crowd of So-not-lians, who are in the middle of grabbing some of the food aid coming through. Suddenly, there is a hail of gunshots, and militia loyal to the Aidid regime start killing lots of innocents. Yes, So-not-lians were killing So-not-lians in So-not-lia. That indeed happened, and of course, intervention had to happen, and the UN troops, in all their ineptitude, could not stop the war. Which cues the entry of an entire bevy of American Delta Force troopers and Marines, along with some such other elite-sounding forces. It�s America to the rescue, people! Buy your ticket to the propaganda train! The rest of the movie details the brave, but blundered, mission by the American forces to take out warlord Aidid in the middle of territory controlled by him. Yes, this is how the self-proclaimed world�s most powerful army operates. Watch and learn, kids. Anyway, this and that happens, and in the end, two Black Hawks get shot down (hence the title) and people die, but not without showcasing the heroics of the people played by Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Eric Bana (soon-to-be �The Incredible Hulk�). Along the way, some stories aimed at deeply moving the hearts and souls of America are weaved in, beginning with the always-effective-and-never-tired soldier husband calls wife in America, gets the answering machine, leaves a loving message, and hangs up just as wife enters the house with a bag of groceries. Do you think this wife-loving family man of a husband is going to die in the line of duty? Do you? Huh? You think? Really? Then there is some story about this new soldier just drafted into duty in So-not-lia, played by this really annoying actor who looks like that really annoying Justin Timberlake, only more annoying. And with a really annoying voice, which I didn�t think was possible. Later on, I found out this annoyance had a name in Orlando Bloom, and I have been receiving annoyingly furious e-mails from my annoying female friends deeply concerned with the annoying fact that I find him annoying. Are you annoyed by my repeatedly annoying usage of that annoying word yet? Well, that�s how I felt like, inundated by those annoying e-mails. Anyway, Orlando Gloom obviously dies because he, like, falls to his death from a Black Hawk. And that, my friends, was the end of Orlando Doom. In this movie, at least. He�s got like two other movies coming up, thanks to JRR Tolkein. Well, you all know the story of what happened in the end. The American troops basically get outnumbered and outgunned, and the UN troops rally to help. The problem I have with this movie, clearly, is the focus, and the historical bias in the recounting of the event, which blissfully ignores the history of America in Somalia. I�m not about to give a history lecture here, but suffice to say that America�s involvement in Somalia did not begin and end with its political crisis in the early 1990s. Somalia was often a pawn in relations between America and the former Soviet Union in the days of the Cold War, and America did have a major role in arming Somalia. I�ll leave it as that � find a decent textbook on Somalia to learn the whole story. Therefore, this movie shows America, not in a victorious military position (thank apple pie and the goodness that comes with it), but America in a vulnerable position, being attacked. Sounding familiar yet? But damn it, they were there to put right something that was wrong, and the film obviously discounts all the wrong America had done prior to 1992. And even though America was martyred in saving Somalia from destroying itself, Somalia, ever the ungrateful dawg, bit the hand that fed it. How dare an impoverished country just reject freedom and human rights! Those stupid starving Somalian souls. The concept of this movie had lots of potential. If executed well, it would have given Americans a good historical perspective as to why they are often denigrated by so many countries all over the world, especially with the present political scenario. But instead, we have a cloyingly patriotic tribute to American forces, who, despite the fact that renegade countries can never understand the freedom that America stands for, shall always try to uphold that freedom wherever it goes. Even if they are bullied, rejected, and 19 brave souls died that day in Somalia as American elite forces killed thousands of Somalians. One word : annoying. R.D.'s Rating : It's a HOT DAWG with some propaganda on the side. Delicious! Not. (What's a HOT DAWG? Check out R.D.'s rating system here.) Sound off!! Josh Hartnett or Eric Bana - who will have the longer staying power? How grateful were you that this was not nominated for Best Picture? Were you confused by the large male cast - or had you already zoomed out of the theatre in a gloom the moment Orlando Bloom met his doom? Tell me here. |