"Black Hawk Down" - terrible movie!

PoochJD

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HI,

Is it just me, or was "BHD" just a complete waste of time and money?! :eek:

I can't believe that this movie has been acclaimed as a brilliant piece of cinema. Basically, it's one action scene that appears to have been draggedout to over 2-hours in length! Why?!

It has almost no plot, no real characters to care about, and ultimately, there's no point to it either! It's just a total waste of space!! :mad:

And the Extras weren't particularly good either!

Could this be because Ridley Scott (one of the greatest directors alive) was paired-up with Jerry Bruckheimer, the queen of the cheesy action film?!

I hate to say this, but I have to confess that this could well be the second really bad Ridley Scott film (after "GI Jane", of course)! Normally, all his movies are superb!

So what went wrong here....?

Pooch
 
Didn't you realise that the film was based on actual events from around 10 years ago?

I haven't seen the film yet but remembered when it happened.
 
Hi,

Yes, I knew it was "based on real events", but there was still no point to dragging the one scene to over 2 hours in length!

Pooch
 
Does anyone know how long the events actually took?
 
I was disappointed when I first saw this film. I enjoyed it a little more on its second viewing though. I think the fact that it is based on real events just about saves it.
 
Originally posted by PoochJD
Is it just me, or was "BHD" just a complete waste of time and money?! :eek:

Not just you as a few reported adversely when they saw it at the cinema back in January with no positive reviews at all.

Having read the review some months ago I didn't bother buying the DVD
 
Yes the film may be based on a "true Story"...But i bet that 80% of true stories are fictional....Look at U 571....Now who was it who actually broke the enigma code???????...the US...i think not
 
The U571 thing just puts events from WWII to make a enjoyable action film. The director admits this in the extras.

In the film they don't claim to crack the code or get the first machines. They just want to get hold of one of the machines (which they did in real life).

Even the U571 didn't sink when it does in the film (a year later I think). It still made a good film.

I am looking forward to watching BHD and will try to get the HMV version with the free book of BHD.
 
Just for the record I absolutely loved it - a 5/5 film for me.....
 
I'm with Tee 5/5 here :D
 
yep, an absolute star of a movie,

I read the book, and I'd say ridley did a better job than the book,

the reason perhaps why some don't like it is because it isn't film-like enough, instead based on a 24 hour period of an american forces cock-up?
 
this could well be the second really bad Ridley Scott film (after "GI Jane", of course)! Normally, all his movies are superb!
Maybe his third, I didn't rate Hannibal that highly

Allan
 
I really enjoyed this at the cinema a definite 10/10 but on second viewing Id rate it at about 8/10. I thought it was an involving story that didnt try to cover (too much) the US cockup or the fact that absolutely NOTHING was achieved.

There were no major characters in this movie, it was intentional. The character (if you want to call it that) was the whole unit, portraying as many of them as possible and the way the day went for them.

Admitidly most of the movie is one long firefight but I thought that Ridley Scotts direction and filming of this (major qudos to the cinematographer) was excellent. Its not going to be a classic but it was far more satisfying than Spiderman or AotC for my money.

I think 'We were soldiers' was a far better film, in comparrison, but the direction and cinematography were lacking compared with BHD.

Ultimately, at the end of the day though we all enjoy different movies. I think it would be a shame though if you missed this movie because you'd heard bad things about it. Depending on your tastes though, at best you're in danger of missinga great 'war' movie or at worst, of not seeing a slightly above average movie.

so in Brief.

A Classsic its not, but a neither is it a dud. Go watch it and make your own oppinion and I doubt you'd regret it.

Regards
 
I think those people who went to see BHD expecting it to be an "entertaining movie" were right to be dissappointed, but I also feel they were missing the point. It is a movie but not in the conventional sense of the word. There is no subplot behind the story - no beginning - no middle - and certainly no fairytale ending but then I don't think this was ever the director's intention.

In my opinion it's not a bad movie but rather, it is an extremely harrowing and realistic account of events that actually happened (and happened not too long ago). By it's very nature, this is not the type of story that makes for enjoyable watching.

Black Hawk Down clearly showed the mistakes made by the Americans at all points throughout the battle. Communications were bad, intelligence was wrong and the enemy was vastly underestimated. No explanation had to be given, no message passed to the viewer. You didn't have to like the soldiers or even care if they lived or died. Think of it as a documentary. Black Hawk Down told it like it was.
 
I wish they'd shown the stealth landings they made on the beaches of Somalia on first entering the country.

The secret landings, at night

Where CNN, ABC & the BBC (I believe) were all their to film their arrival...
 
You know it would have been heaps better if only there had been a big evil dude, who was like, totally evil and against all the rangers. And he could have been organising the whole thing in some evil plot.

And then he could have been killed off by the baddest hard-arsed ranger with a machine gun from a helicopter.

Only, he didn't die, and then when the rangers think they're safe he comes back and has to be destroyed again by the bad-as$ ranger only this time with a racket launcher. And he could say "You're fired!" or something really cool like that.

Would that be soooo cool. That would have made it a much better film.
 
I saw this at the cinema and felt it was essentially a very nicely shot (apart from some of the night scenes) reconstruction.

Kind of like if 'Crimewatch' had two hours and £5 million to play with...
 
Originally posted by eli_cash
dumbasses.

I believe all asses, ponies and horses used in the making of the film were of above average intelligence.
 
Originally posted by eli_cash
dumbasses.

Succint, but lacking in focus. The point of which escapes me.

Regards
 
Oh, my bad. Typo. I meant to type Dumars. Yeah, read Dumars.

...as relevant and as comprehensive as others thoughts on BHD, yet fewer words.

Black Hawk Down was realistic; from the screenplay to the special effects. And if that meant sacrificing conventional heroes set-ups, baddies, letters to mamma back home in Kansas, and a flag waving ending - I say well done.

...I love the way if people dont like a film, they automatically start dissing people like the english press. "Well, thats two bad films in a row for Ridley Scott - he's all washed up". Laughable.

Other good ones.
"Tom Hanks playing a baddy"
"Does Sam Mendes feel the pressure of the oscars"
"Robin Williams - 'No more Mr Nice Guy'"

Dumars's
 
Originally posted by eli_cash
Black Hawk Down was realistic

Something you could only claim if you'd actually been there, otherwise you have absolutely no frame of reference to base the statement on.

I'm glad you made it back OK.
 
Originally posted by kiwiranger
Only, he didn't die, and then when the rangers think they're safe he comes back and has to be destroyed again by the bad-as$ ranger only this time with a racket launcher. And he could say "You're fired!" or something really cool like that.
:DLMAO:D
 
You take what I said and come back with the most pedantic statement, I've read or heard for a while. Dumars and Smartars (great writers)

Even without having been involved in the conflict I still have a basis from which to evaulate realism on. Documentary footage I have seen, its ambiguous stance on war, it doesnt preach, the fact that the soldiers involved commented on the realism of the film, the fact that the film was one long barrage of random violence, rather than carefully plotted set pieces involving Brue Willis firing two Uzi's simaltaeneously.
 

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