Black Hawk Down ! Must see or Boycott ?

Black Hawk Down! Must See or Boycott?


At the poker table today one of the players was saying that the movie “Black Hawk Down” was a “must see” movie.


He said that he felt that way, because the movie may be the most accurate depictions of what a combat environment realy is like.


And that since thousands of our soldiers may be placed in similar situations (to protect our lives) that we all had an obligation to see it.


Another player at the table vehemently disagreed. He said that a “boycott” of the movie had already been declared on the E (entertainment) channel.


And that the boycott had been declared by an alliance of Somalis and spokespersons from the American entertainment industry.


And that the reason that the movie must not be seen is, because it consistently depicts Somali leaders in a negative light.


(Ironically the Somalia leaders had been trained and supported by Al’Queda) Has anyone seen the movie? And what do you think?


Most Sincerely,

Doc AZ

From what I hear the movie director was Ridley Scott and his movie "Gladiator" was a Marvel of special effects and very memorable. I can only imagine that his latest movie will be just as grand.


Just a little Irony here though,the American Entertainment Industry probably doesn't consider the depiction of the death of American Servicemen as entertainment , perhaps that was the reason for the boycott?

If you like war movies then it's a must see.

It's a long movie, over 2 hours. It's based on true events. If the Somali leaders are badly depicted, its because they are corrupt. I have heard that soldiers who were actually involved and saw the movie were stunned with the realism.


I thought Saving Pvt Ryan was the best war moview ever, for realism. This is even more real.


It makes you wish that we never place our young men and women in harms way.

I kind of liked it because I've liked war movies since I was a kid, but I thought it was shallow and devoid of context, sort of boring after a while. I get tired of the "we're always the good guys" stuff, but if you compare movies like Three Kings and even this thing to what people were dished up in the 40's, we've come a long way.


It disturbed in a stupid kind of way for the same reasons the John Wayne's "The Alamo" did: much of the movie consists of scene after scene of Americans mowing down the foreign enemies that outnumber them. It was different because The Alamo's political context was nearly fantasy (Wayne talking about how nice the word "republic" sounded, referring to the aims of people trying to steal land in order to extend slavery). The political context of Blackhawk Down consisted of a few confusing notes at the beginning and the end of the movie.


I wouldn't boycott any movie just because the images are disturbing, or will enjoyed for the wrong reasons by the wrong people. I think the movie mentions that 1,000 Somalis were actually killed by U.S. forces. There's something odd about focusing whatever objections we have to this on its dramatization.


If you want to boycott something, boycott the next movie produced by Bruckheimer. We could call it the "Remember Pearl Harbor" boycott. That movie sucked.

I loved the movie for the realism and spectacular editing and the story of the battle and all the men who fought, died and were wounded. Many Americans were hardly aware of just how ferocious this battle was before the movie came out. However, the movie didn’t do a good job of putting the politics in perspective. We essentially got in the middle of a civil war and the side we aided wasn’t really much better than the side we ended up fighting (if you go back over the history of Somalia). But the valor of the soldiers in the battle was noble anyway. Their heroism and sacrifice transcends politics.


I had gotten the book for Christmas and just finished reading it. The book is well written and puts the politics into perspective a bit more.


In a post a ways below I linked to the movie “We Were Soldiers” which comes out March 1st. After reading the book “We Were Soldiers Once and Young” and checking out the trailer, I have a feeling this is going to be a classic. I also believe it will treat both sides with the respect that soldiers who answer the call to duty deserve.


Regards,


Rick

I saw the film last night. It's worth seeing, but

I wouldn't rank it as a must see. It is very graphic and gorey. I think it really depicts what

an actual battle is like. The main point I got

from the film is how poorly conceived this military operation was and how incompetent are

military was in this particular operation.


Bruce

I bet that you enjoyed watching the American soldiers get killed by Al Queda trained terrorists (of course you call them freedom fighters) in this show. How much longer will Ashcroft permit the likes of you to go free?

Not for the reasons you stated though. I decided last year that I am through seeing violent movies. For me, there is no story that needs to have blood and guts to make its point. The visual imagery of violent injury and death is something that I feel I am better off not seeing. The proliferation of violent films has killed the cinematic imagination, in my opinion, in addition to subjecting people to imagery that I think is detrimental to people's mental well-being. I know that violence is a part of everyday life but it is still my belief that fictionalized violence has no place in my consumption of the arts and culture.


So, no Black Hawk Down for me.


KJS

KJS,


This important story could not be told without showing the violence. It was not gratuitous; it was in fact the essence of the story.


Regards,


Rick

I am sure there is some truth to this Rick but I am also sure that they crossed boundaries into images that were gratuitously gorey.


If I am curious about the incident I'll get the book.


KJS