DVD Corner

Black Hawk Down 4K UHD Steelbook Review

“Black Hawk Down” is one of Ridley Scott’s best films.   

Based on true events and on Mark Bowden’s novel “Black Hawk Down: A Story Of Modern War,” 2001’s “Black Hawk Down” deals with the Battle of Mogadishu. To give a little background, in 1992 during the Somali Civil War, United Nations Operations provided humanitarian relief. In 1993, the Mogadishu militia War Lord Mohamed Farrah Aidid began to seize food shipments and attack peacekeepers. President Clinton deployed Delta Force and Rangers to venture to Magadishu to capture Aidid’s advisors in the Bakaara Market. The mission was supposed to be simple, but it turns into a disaster from the get go. A soldier falls out of a helicopter, 2 Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, soldiers become separated and stranded behind enemy lines, the Rangers and Delta Force members suffer casualties and injuries, a pilot is held captive, soldiers fire on each other by accident, and Aidid’s militia bears down on the soldiers and puts up road blocks to make matters worse.

No film better illustrates the chaos and confusion of modern warfare than director Ridley Scott’s “Black Hawk Down.” It’s a gritty, exhausting, and hellish journey into a mission that goes horribly awry. Rather than focusing on central characters, writer Ken Nolan wisely takes a different approach here by delving into various aspects of the Battle through different perspectives of the armed forces. We (the audience) see the soldiers on the ground, the General making decisions, the strategies and tactics being deployed by air, the race to secure the crash sites, the rescue attempts, the horrifying bloody violence, the medics trying to save lives, the soldiers trying to regroup, etc. It covers everything amid the chaos which makes it all the more impactful. You get the near full picture (even if the film isn’t entirely 100% historically accurate). 

From a visual perspective, Ridley Scott and DP Slawomir Idziak create a very in your face war film. Although there is CGI, there’s a heavy lean on practicality here with location shooting, sets, explosions, vehicles (humvees and helicopters), and a huge cast. Nowadays so much of this would be CGI. In many ways it was one of the last of its kind in terms of war movies.

On the subject of the cast, it’s a real all-star ensemble with a lot of “before they were stars.” Among those seen here are Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard, Hugh Dancy, Orlando Bloom, Tom Hardy, Kim Coates, Ron Eldard, Ioan Gruffudd, Jason Isaacs, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jeremy Piven, George Harris, Richard Tyson, Ewen Bremmer, and Ty Burrell. As mentioned above, there’s no real central lead here (maybe you can make a case for Sgt. Eversmann) so it’s not an acting showcase kind of movie. It’s very much a situational war film. With that said, there are notable performances here nonetheless. Josh Hartnett shines as Sgt. Eversmann. You forget how underrated of an actor he is. Eric Bana steals the movie as the lone wolf Sergeant Hoot. Ewan McGregor is memorable as the desk clerk Grimesey who gets his first taste of battle. The late Tom Sizemore gives one of his finest performances as Lt. McKnight- a true badass who shakes off a bullet wound like it’s nothing.              

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.40:1 2160p. How does it look? A splendid 4K transfer with sharp colors.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? As perfect as a track can get. The helicopters and warfare make for an immersive audio experience.

Note: This set contains the theatrical cut and the extended version.

Extras (On The 2 Blu-ray Discs):
* Blu-ray copy
* Digital copy
* “The Essence Of Combat: Making Black Hawk Down”- A 6 part featurette.
* 3 commentary tracks. 1. Author Mark Bowden and screenwriter Ken Nolan. 2. Director Ridley Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. 3. U.S. Special Forces Veterans ‘93
* Blu-Wizard
* Production photos, production design and poster explorations photo galleries.
* 10 TV spots and theatrical trailer
* “Black Hawk Down On The Set”- A look at production aspects and the real life story behind the film.
* “Image And Design”- A 4 part extra that covers location shooting, storyboards, on set photography and title cards.
* “The History Channel: The True Story Of Black Hawk Down” TV special.
* “Frontline: Ambush In Mogadishu”- An hour-long PBS special.
* “Questions And Answer Forums”- Cast and crew Q&As from BAFTA, Editor’s Guild and American Cinematheque screenings.
* “Target Building Insertion” (6 Angles With Commentary)- A look at the making of a scene from 6 different angles with commentary by First Assistant Director Terry Needham.
* 8 deleted/alternate scenes with optional Ridley Scott commentary.
* A music video for Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard’s “Gortoz A Ran- J’Attends.”

November 8, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Black Hawk Down, Black Hawk Down 4K UHD Steelbook Review, Ewan McGregor, Josh Hartnett, Ridley Scott, War Movie