Black Hawk Down

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2:25

Black Hawk Down

R

2002

2h 24m

War

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

172 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

In 1993, the U.S. sends 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.

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

11/08/2011

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.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

11/08/2011

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.

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Todd McCarthy

Variety

01/02/2009

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

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

11/12/2023

2/4

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.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/19/2022

5/5

“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.

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Jim Rohner

Battleship Pretension

04/14/2021

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

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Josue P

@RT26164816 6d

In Black Hawk Down, real cinematography techniques such as gritty visuals, as well as use of desaturated colors have been employed to achieve realism and intensity in its cinematic look. With its use of hand held shots, chaotic battle scenes and sound design, the viewer is put right in the middle of the action where one can see the confusion of combat.

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Spring T.

@IRONXYX Apr 5

That raw authenticity is like a rusted blade caked in the sands of Somalia, slowly carving through the facade of civilization. Amidst the ruins, it leaves you with a shiver that bone-deep and chilling.

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Haytham O

@UtahOcean Apr 2

A movie that came from a golden era of movies. That’s the short of it. An absolutely star studied cast, this movie felt deep. If this was ever released in cinemas today, it may literally break the box office. There’s some weird scenes the strange dialogue, and you keep looking at some of the actors going " this skinny dude was being passed as a Ranger/Delta?" But overall I think this pretty much depicted a realistic example of why war is expensive in both lives and money. The cost that comes crumbling down on families from all sides, and how mistakes from leadership cost men their lives in war on a daily basis.

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Dan S.

@DSav7 Mar 3

Thought this was an excellent movie that kept you right on edge!

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guillaume W

@Yaum63 Feb 28

The best war film ever. Close to the military on the ground. The best understanding of the military thinking, honor and courage.

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Ava S

@avawatches Feb 22

Black Hawk Down takes notable creative liberties to deliver a visceral, anxiety-inducing action war drama that thrills on a sensory level, even as it sacrifices character depth and political nuance.

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Synopsis

In 1993, the U.S. sends 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
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, Action
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)