Anyone who wasn’t like hidden under a rock in the early nineties knows that our armed forces were engaged in a peacekeeping effort in Somalia. This is where I’m not as good as Crimson. I can’t remember names and damnit if I refuse to research anything before I write. ;-) So, the basic story is this. A powerful warlord and militia leader in Somalia used hunger to control his people. He took control of all food ports in the country and watched as his people died of starvation. American forces, stationed in Pakistan, would drop food and supplies to the people. Most of these things were immediately stolen by the Somali Militia. American troops would watch as innocent people were brutally gunned down while trying to feed themselves and their families. It wasn’t long before America decided to take this warlord down. They would infiltrate his capitol city and base of operations (Mogadishu) , rescue any hostages and take the tyrant into custody. What was planned out as an hour or so long operation turned into one of the biggest military fuck ups of all time. At the beginning of the operation, the Somali Militia was tipped off to the American’s intent and prepared for the strike…..BIG TIME. Add to that the misfortune of a soldier who took a wrong step off of a helicopter and you have what I like to call the most frustrating 2 hours in movie history. Not exactly in a bad way….more of like in a helpless/questioning my faith/how the fuck can people live like this kinda way. All I gotta say is God bless the U.S. armed forces. As noble as their code is "Never leave a man behind". It gets everyone in a whole bunch of shit. As ground forces merge on the capitol, a helicopter is shot down halfway across the city. Half of the ground forces are sent back to base with the rescued hostages while the other half is ordered to stay and go set up a perimeter around the downed chopper. Like ants from an anthill, the Somali Militia horde all around the crash site. With a taste for blood and some kind of sense of diluted vengeance, they challenge our Rangers at every turn.

Now, this is far from a history lesson but, unfortunately, when a film is based on a true story….you can’t avoid it. But enough of the lesson. As a film, Black Hawk Down delivers. Headliner, Josh Hartnett, gives us a performance reminiscent of Pearl Harbor. It’s sad to say it... but he may be a sharp looker but acting-wise, he’s a one trick pony. Fear not, that’s about the only bit of bad acting in the whole flick. The audience is treated to masterful performances by Tom Sizemore, Sam Shepard, William Fichtner and Ewan McGregor. Also, keep an eye out for Orlando Bloom (Legolas from Lord of the Rings). I hate to say it but Director Ridley Scott has created himself a masterpiece of a film. Stunning visuals, gritty realism and painstaking attention to the tiniest details. The film is shot well and in a hypnotic pace. Once the operation starts to go sour, you’re hooked and I promise you... you won’t come out until the credits roll. I hate Ridley Scott and I hate that I love this film... but love it I do and recommend it I will. (when did I start talking like Yoda?) Like with most films based on actual events, expect some heavy reading towards the end of the film. The film is gonna stir up a lot of feelings in you while you watch it. First there’s an air of levity as you get to know the American soldiers. Levity quickly turns into pride in our soldiers as they surgically strike Mogadishu. That pride will fade when the operation turns to shit. Pride will be replaced with horror, desperation and anger. By the time the film was over, I wanted to go Wolverine-like berserk on anyone who looked at me cross.

Obviously, the events of this past September re-enforce your feelings and give you maybe a deeper passion for the plight of these soldiers. The bad side of that is that since the 9/11 tragedy is still fresh in our blood we can expect a buttload of war movies to follow. Mel Gibson’s "We Were Soldiers" and Bruce Willis’ "Hart’s War" are advertised on the same reel as Black Hawk Down. "Soldiers" looks like a great film but, unfortunately, "Hart’s War" looks like Hogan’s Heroes with an "R" rating. Get ready for the oncoming flood of war pictures.

But back to Black Hawk Down. It’s good. See it. Get angry.