Black Hawk Down

Starring Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana and Sam Sheppard.

Directed by Ridley Scott

Walking out of this film was a chore. It was difficult to move, to think. Ridley Scott has made what is certainly one of the most important war films of all time. I was almost weeping. The story surrounds the U.S. Army Rangers, pilots, and Delta Special Forces troops involved in a disasterous mission in Somalia on Oct. 3, 1993. What it delivers is both a stirring testament to the dedication and bravery of these American soldiers, and a chilling look at the insanity and ultimate futility of war itself. An opening quote, white letters on a black screen, cryptically delivers a message that is hammered home in perhaps one of the most violent war movies ever made. “Only the dead have seen the end of war – Plato”. Hartnett, whose own youth and inexperience seeps into a deeply talented perfomance in exactly the right amounts, plays Sgt. Eversmann, an Army Ranger taking troops into combat for the first time. He is idealistic, as young men, especially young soldiers, often are. He’s here to “make a difference” though he doesn’t seem to know how or why. This question is never really answered for him. Hoot, a Delta commando captivatingly played by Eric Bana counters Eversmann with a no nonsense, fight or die attitude devoid of political are nationlistic dedication. He’s not a dedicated military man, but he’s not Tom Cruise’s Maverick either. Bana captures a modern American soldier in a very important way that illustrates Scott’s greater point. He’s here to do a job, not ask why he should, because he understands somehow that no one has an answer for him, that there is no real answer. War is what it is, ugly, frighting, deadly for some, a way of life for others, an insane inevitibality that can not be stopped but must simply be endured. This message of human nature, and our never ending attempt to destroy each other and ultimatly ourselves make Black Hawk Down an absolute must see lesson for an America that can no longer afford to be brave or new. Rating – 4 cell phones.