Black Hawk Down

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2:25

Black Hawk Down

R

Released Jan 18, 2002

2h 24m

War

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

174 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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.

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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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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

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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

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Todd McCarthy

Variety

A relentless immersion in combat strikingly realized but none too pleasurable to sit through.

Jan 2, 2009

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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

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Jim Rohner

Battleship Pretension

...arguably the best performance of Josh Hartnett's career...

Apr 14, 2021

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Stephen H

One of the greatest films/war films of all-time. The Battle of Mogadishu is one of the most notorious battles in U.S. Military history. Rangers lead the way!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

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Audience Member

Free PTSD definitly worth watching!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

Full Review

Brian D

Well done in every regard. Brings the horrors of war home and shows the futility of our presence in Somalia.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/24

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Theodore H

This movie aged incredibly well (production wise). The cast in this movie was stacked and overall the acting was quite good. I’m not entirely sure the portrayal of elite soldiers at some moments was entire accurate but I’m no expert and it didn’t really harm the plot. The movie did get a bit slow at times and it was more drama over action, but it felt like a realistic portrayal of a spec ops mission and invested the viewer. The cinematography was beautiful with the shots and lighting of the scenes really adding to the feel and suspense of the movie. Not to mention the sound effects and music were excellently produced and worked very well with the movie. Overall, this movie wasn’t really one to leave the viewer with questions or a sense of confusion(no big plot twists) but more just with a sense of like “wow that was a really good movie”. Def would recommend great watch, not too heavy but not too mindless either and it was great to see Ewan McGregor trying to suppress his accent lmao.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/07/24

Full Review

Marsy 3

Not even close to the book. How many folk on here know that it was the same team that took down Pablo Escobar? Go Read it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/03/24

Full Review

Jonathan 2

Acting 8/10 Story: 8/10 Action scenes : 9/10 Special effects : 9/10

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/04/24

Full Review

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Ridley Scott

Director

Josh Hartnett

Eversmann

Ewan McGregor

Grimes

Tom Sizemore

McKnight

Eric Bana

Hoot

William Fichtner

Sanderson

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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
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer, Ridley Scott
Screenwriter: Mark Bowden, Ken Nolan
Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Video, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Svensk Filmindustri (SF) AB, Cascade Film, Columbia Tristar
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Revolution Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, 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
Runtime: 2h 24m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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