Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down is a very violent and realistic war film that in no way glorifies war, but instead shows its horrors. If you are not particularly fond of the genre, consider yourself warned. This is the pure, unvarnished stuff, and even the more thick-skinned may well find it hard to stomach.

The film is set in civil-war-ravaged Somalia in the early 1990s, where the UN is having more than the usual difficulty establishing law and order. This is due first and foremost to the ambitious and ruthless warlord Aidid, with whom the American general William Garrison is seriously losing patience. He just cannot get hold of Aidid, but an opportunity does present itself to capture two of Aidid's trusted men.

Garrison plans the operation, which is complicated by the fact that the capture has to take place in the part of the capital Mogadishu controlled by Aidid's rebel forces. The American special forces are to get in and out as quickly as possible, but things do not always go according to plan. When a Black Hawk helicopter is shot down, some of the forces must try to reach the crash site, but this proves to be deadly dangerous. It turns into a long day.

Even though Black Hawk Down shows in detail how the military operation goes completely wrong, the film does not seem directly critical of the American intervention in Somalia. The political aspect is utterly overshadowed by another important theme, loyalty and comradeship among the soldiers.