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Black Hawk Down.... - anyone?

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Black Hawk Down.... - anyone?

Old 04-30-02, 09:34 AM
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Black Hawk Down.... - anyone?

I have heard a lot of good and bad things about this film. A friend saw it and said that in one part some guy gets his legs blown off... - his comrade come to his aid and legless guy smiles and says "tell the kids I'll be home for tea."

?

I'm sure if I had my legs blown off I would be going balistic, not coming out with cocky comments.

Anyone care to comment on this film?
Old 04-30-02, 03:56 PM
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Re: Black Hawk Down.... - anyone?

Originally posted by Sessen-Ryu

I'm sure if I had my legs blown off I would be going balistic, not coming out with cocky comments.

It's called shock.
Old 04-30-02, 10:54 PM
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Haven't seen it of course, but believe me, with the reviews the way they were, this is a no-brainer blind purchase for me (to sell later once the SE comes out - you may want to wait for that, or just rent the bare bones version)
Old 05-01-02, 01:56 AM
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It's one of those movies you have to own on DVD no matter what the version.
Won best oscar for sound.
It will rock your world, and get you pumped.
Gonna be a fun movie to watch on DVD.
Old 05-01-02, 03:30 AM
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I'm a big war film fan so I think I'll be adding this to my collection - and yes, good idea to wait for the SE - thanks :-)
Old 05-01-02, 11:59 AM
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Originally posted by Carl Spackler
It's one of those movies you have to own on DVD no matter what the version.
Won best oscar for sound.
It will rock your world, and get you pumped.
Gonna be a fun movie to watch on DVD.
I'm looking forward to the DVD as well, though I'd hardly describe it as "fun".
I'm definitely not trying to put you down, Carl, but I'm assuming you haven't read the book. If you have, and you really understand what went on over there in Mogadishu, I don't think you'd be apt to describe the movie that way.
Exhilirating and compelling, for sure, but I certainly wouldn't call it 'fun'.
(again, no offence to you Carl... just wanted to make a point).

Old 05-01-02, 12:07 PM
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This disc is so bare-bones I'm surprised they included the film.
Old 05-01-02, 08:36 PM
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Waiting to pick up the Black Hawk Down SE and the Ali SE that better be coming!!!
Old 05-02-02, 02:13 PM
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A friend saw it and said that in one part some guy gets his legs blown off... - his comrade come to his aid and legless guy smiles and says "tell the kids I'll be home for tea."
Your friend has a lousy memory. The Delta operator in question does not smile (he stares off with glazed eyes in pain and shock, covered in blood) and whispers something like, "Tell my girls I'll be okay." If you read the book, you'll learn that the real man actually lived for a couple more hours.
Old 05-03-02, 02:49 AM
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His memory's fine.

I think it's more a case of exaggeration for comedy effect.


Thanks I shall be definitley purchasing this now I know it's not a load of corn.
Old 05-04-02, 07:39 PM
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Top 5 best war movies of all time,I would buy this if it had no case and just the movie with no menus.
Old 05-07-02, 03:37 PM
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Yeah exactly what that guy said, the operator who got blown up in half, actually made it back to the base and died a couple of hours later. I read about some others posts for BHD and people were complaining that most of the guys that died had a heroic last statement. If they read the book, they would know that not all of them died instantly.
Old 05-08-02, 10:01 AM
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Agreed, a lot of the criticism of BHD ran along the lines of "it seems like a video game, the soldiers show no personality, etc". However, if you'd read the book you'd realize it DID seem like a video game to those 18 and 19 year old kids, that they DIDN'T stop to think about the logic of what they were doing there, etc.

A very fine adaptation of a very fine book.
Old 05-12-02, 06:27 AM
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The movie has tight direction, great acting, lot's of action and an incredible score. I only had 2 problems with the movie.

Spoiler:
Tom Sizemores character just walks around all the bullets, explosions and his team falling over dying. Not a care in the world. Kinda like Tom Berenger in Apocolypse Now (not sure if it's actually him to tell you the truth) but that was fiction and this is supposed to depict a real event. I haven't read the book, but I just can't imagine someone walking around calmly through gunfire with a 'if it hits me it hits me' attitude.


and

Spoiler:
Eric Bana has the worst American accent. I couldn't help thinking that he actually has an Australian accent. Bad casting descision in my opinion. All scenes with Bana detracted from the reality of it all.


Other than that it's a top notch movie. Get it.
Old 05-15-02, 01:19 PM
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I was very close to buying it til I just read the post about the SE coming out. Does anyone have a specific date? I'm wondering if I can wait that long. I really want this movie on DVD, but at the same time I do not want to miss out on the special features that might come on the SE.

So is it for sure that the SE version will come out?
Old 05-17-02, 07:15 PM
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that's not accurate. i think tom sizemore was staring at him in shock telling him to hang on, and the sergeant replies "tell my girls i love them". he knew he wouldnt make it.

Tom Sizemores character just walks around all the bullets, explosions and his team falling over dying. Not a care in the world. Kinda like Tom Berenger in Apocolypse Now (not sure if it's actually him to tell you the truth) but that was fiction and this is supposed to depict a real event. I haven't read the book, but I just can't imagine someone walking around calmly through gunfire with a 'if it hits me it hits me' attitude.
well, that's probably why. i read the book, and i think tom
sizemore's explanation for his acting was right. in an interview he said that the real guy told him that's how he acted, because if he showed fear during the battle, it would demoralize his men who were less experienced, so he acted oblivious to his surroundings.
i thought his what the heck style was fitting for a ranger lt. colonel and who better to do it than tom sizemore.

Eric Bana has the worst American accent. I couldn't help thinking that he actually has an Australian accent. Bad casting descision in my opinion. All scenes with Bana detracted from the reality of it all.
this is the first criticism i've heard of bana's performance. most critics praised it and i agree. he had a good earthy quality and thought his accent was right-on. i doubt you'd be saying he's aussie if you didnt know that beforehand. perhaps knowing that he had to make the accent and watching him do it influenced your impression. ewan mcgregor had a real FAKE american accent while ewan bremner's was a little better. you could almsot feel him suffocating on his tongue. i commend bana for not only doing a good american accent but specifically, a regional one as well- some sort of southern/texan twangy thing. right on.
Old 05-17-02, 08:09 PM
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Black Hawk Down review @dvdfile

where is the dts?!!?!?!?

http://www.dvdfile.com/software/revi...khawkdown.html
Old 05-17-02, 11:30 PM
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Re: Black Hawk Down review @dvdfile

Originally posted by Chili Palmer
where is the dts?!!?!?!?

http://www.dvdfile.com/software/revi...khawkdown.html
DTS is supposed to be on the SE coming out later this year.

Also, merging with the other BHD review thread.
Old 05-22-02, 12:01 AM
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There are 2 trailers on the disc and none are for Black Hawk Down. I really like the teaser with Bob Dylans Knockin on Heavens Door
Old 06-29-02, 12:39 AM
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An interesting read

I received this e-mail from a friend of mine in the military. he got it from a friend of his who was there. I found it an interesting read and thought you all may enjoy it as well. He gives his thoughts on the accuracy of the film.
> During the last few days many pilots have come up to me and
> asked me if I had seen the movie "Blackhawk Down." I don't
> mind talking about the movie, and I welcome the opportunity
> to talk about the heroism and valor of my friends. I just
> wanted to post some comments here about the movie and my
> impressions. Also I wanted to try to answer some frequently
> asked questions.
>
> First of all, I and many of my friends that also flew on
> the mission thought that the movie was excellent! It is
> technically accurate and it is dramatically correct. In
> other words, the equipment, lingo and dialogue are all
> right on. By dramatically correct, I mean that it very
> effectively captured the emotions and tension that we all
> felt during the mission. It did this without being a
> cartoon, (like TOP GUN) or being over the top, (like
> FIREBIRDS). It's true that the screenwriters had to
> consolidate two or three people into one, but this was
> necessary because otherwise there would have been too many
> principle characters to keep track of. Also in the actual
> mission we had nearly 20 aircraft in the air that day. In
> the movie they had 4 Blackhawks and 4 "Little Birds". The
> unit could not afford to commit the actual number to the
> filming of the movie. However, through the magic of the
> cinema, they were able to give the impression of the real
> number. Our force mixture was as follows:
>
> Super 61 - Lead Blackhawk Star 41-44 Little Bird Assault
> Super 62 - Trail Blackhawk
>
> These aircraft made up the assault force. Their mission was
> to go into the buildings and capture the individuals who
> were the target of the day. Super 61 was shotdown, killing
> both pilots. (They were CW4 Cliff Wolcott and CW3 Donovan
> Briley. The three of us shared a room at the airfield.)
> Star 41 landed at the crashsite and the pilot CW4 Keith
> Jones ran over and dragged two survivors to his aircraft
> and took off for the hospital. Keith re-enacted his actions
> in the movie. Super 62 was the Blackhawk that put in the
> two Delta snipers, Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart and
> Master Sergeant Gary Gordon. They were inserted at
> crashsite #2. Shortly after Gary and Randy were put in
> Super 62 was struck in the fuselage by an antitank rocket.
> The whole right side of the aircraft was opened up and the
> sniper manning the right door gun had his leg blown off.
> The aircraft was able to make it out of the battle area to
> the port area where they made a controlled crash landing.
> (This is not depicted in the movie.)
>
> Next was the Ranger Blocking Force. This consisted of 4
> Blackhawks: Super 64 (CW3 Mike Durant, CW4 Ray Frank) Super
> 65 (Me, Cpt Richard Williams) Super 66 (CW3 Stan Wood, CW4
> Gary Fuller) Super 67 (CW3 Jeff Niklaus, CW2 Sam Shamp)
>
>
> The mission of the blocking force was to be inserted at the
> four corners of the objective building and to prevent any
> Somali reinforcements from getting through. In the movie
> there is a brief overhead shot of the assault. My aircraft
> is depicted in the lower left hand corner of the screen.
> This is the only part of the film where I come close to
> being mentioned. As the assault is completed, you hear the
> Blackhawks calling out of the objective area. When you
> hear, "...Super 65 is out, going to holding..." that's my
> big movie moment. There is also a quick shot of an RPG
> being shot at a hovering Blackhawk. I did have one maybe
> two fired at me, but I did not see them or the gunner. I
> only heard the explosions. We were not able to return fire,
> although some of the other aircraft did. Make no mistake. I
> am fully aware of my role in this mission. My job was the
> same as the landing boat drivers in "Saving Private Ryan."
> Get the troops in the right place in one piece. I am very
> proud of the fact that my crew and I were able to do that.
> After having done this in Grenada, Panama and Somalia, I
> can identify with the bombardiers of World War Two. You
> have to ignore all of the chaos that is going on around and
> completely concentrate on the tasks at hand. That is
> holding the aircraft as steady as possible so the Rangers
> can slide down the ropes as quickly and safely as possible.
>
>
> Okay, Okay, enough about me. Super 64 was shot down also
> with an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade). They tried to make
> it back to the airfield, but their tail rotor gave way
> about a mile out of the objective area. They
>
> went down in the worst part of bad guy territory. The
> dialogue for the movie appears to have been taken from the
> mission tapes as it is exactly as I remember it. (This was
> the hardest part of the movie for me to watch). The actions
> on the ground are as described by Mike Durant, as he was
> the only one from the crew to survive the crash and the gun
> battle. It was here the Gary and Randy won their Posthumous
> Medals of Honor.
>
> Super 66 was called in at about 2000 hours to resupply the
> Rangers at the objective area. Some of the Rangers were
> completely out of ammunition and were fighting hand to hand
> with the Somali militia men. (Also not depicted in the
> movie). Stan and Gary brought their aircraft in so that
> they were hovering over the top of the Olympic Hotel with
> the cargo doors hanging out over the front door. In this
> way they were able to drop the ammo, water and medical
> supplies to the men inside. Stan's left gunner fired 1600
> rounds of minigun ammo in 30 seconds. He probably killed
> between 8 to 12 Somali militia men. As Stan pulled out of
> the objective area, he headed to the airfield because his
> right gunner had been wounded, as had the two Rangers in
> the back who were throwing out the supplies. Once he
> landed, he discovered that he'd been hit by about 40-50
> rounds and his transmission leaking oil like a sieve. Super
>
> 66 was done for the night.
>
> The final group of aircraft were the 4 MH6 gunships, and
> the command and control Blackhawk and the Search and Rescue
> 'Hawk'. They were
>
> Barber 51-54 MH6's Super 63 C&C Super 68 SAR
>
> In the movie, the gunships are shown making only one
> attack. In fact, they were constantly engaged all night
> long. Each aircraft reloaded six times. It is estimated
> that they fired between 70 and
> 80,000 rounds of minigun ammo and fired a total 90 to 100
> aerial rockets. They were the only thing that kept the
> Somalis from overrunning the objective area. All eight
> gunship pilots were awarded the Silver Star. Every one of
> them deserved it!
>
> Next is Super 68. The actions of this crew were very
> accurately portrayed. The only difference was that they
> were actually hit in the rotor blades by an RPG. This blew
> a semicircle out of the main rotor spar,
>
> but the blade held together long enough for them to finish
> putting in the medics and Rangers at the first crashsite.
> It was then that they headed to the airfield. What they did
> not know, was that their main transmission and engine oil
> cooler had been destroyed by the blast. As they headed to
> the airfield all 7 gallons of oil from the main rotor
> gearbox, and all 7 quarts from each engine was pouring out.
> They got the aircraft on the ground just as all oil
> pressures went to zero. They then shutdown, ran to the
> spare aircraft and took off to rejoin the battle. They were
> in the air just in time to affect the MEDEVAC of Super 62,
> which had landed at the seaport. The pilots of this
> aircraft were CW3 Dan Jollota, and MAJ Herb Rodriguez. Both
> men were later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
> Major Rodriguez is retired from the Army now and he teaches
> middle school with my wife in Clarksville, Tennessee.
>
> Finally there is the Command and Controll Blackhawk, Super
> 63. In the back of this aircraft was my battalion
> commander, LTC Matthews, and the overall ground commander,
> LTC Harrell.
>
> In the movie, there is a scene where the men on the ground
> were begging for MEDEVAC. By this point in the battle we
> had
> 5 Blackhawks out of action, either shot down or shot up so
> much they couldn't fly anymore. Of the two assault force
> and four blocking force 'hawks', only myself and Super 67
> were left. I fully expected LTC Harrell to send us in to
> try to get those men out. I jacked a round into the chamber
> of my pistol and my M16. I knew that the only way to do was
> to hover with one wheel balanced on the roof of the
> building. Then the Rangers would be able to throw the
> wounded in. I knew that we were going to take a lot of fire
> and I was trying to mentally prepare myself to do this
> while the aircraft was getting hit. My friends had all gone
> in and taken their licks and now I figured it was our turn.
> (Peer pressure is such a powerful tool if used properly.)
> Quite frankly, I really thought that we were at best going
> to get shot down, at worst I figured we were going to be
> killed. The way I saw it we had already lost 5 aircraft,
> what was 2 more? I had accepted this because at least when
> this was all over General Garrison would be able to tell
> the families that we had tried everything to get their
> sons,fathers or husbands out. We were even willing to send
> in our last two helicopters. Fortunately for me LTC Harrell
> realized that the time for helicopters had passed. The
> decision was made to get the tanks and armored personnel
> carriers to punch through to the objective area. Once
> again, the dialogue in the movie is verbatim. What you
> don't hear is me breathing a sigh of relief! I remembered
> thinking that maybe I was going to see the sunrise after
> all.
>
> I guess I got a little carried away. I really didn't mean
> to write this much. People ask me if this movie has given
> me 'flashbacks'. I don't think you can call them flashbacks
> if that day has never been out of my mind.
>
> I hope that when you do see the movie it will fill you with
> pride and awe for the Rangers that fought their hearts out
> that day. Believe me, they are made of the same stuff as
> those kids at Normandy Beach. When 1LT Tom DiTomasso, the
> Ranger platoon leader on my aircraft, told me that we did a
> fantastic job, I couldn't imagine ever receiving higher
> praise than that. I love my wife and children, but the
> greatest thing I've ever done is to be a Nightstalker Pilot
> with Task Force Ranger on 3-4 Oct
> 1993.
>
> Thank you for reading this. I look forward to answering any
> and all questions anyone may have about the movie or the
> actual battle. I just thought that this might fill in some
> of the blanks. Thank you again.
>
>
> Capt. Gerry Izzo(Super65) "NSDQ" Nightstalkers Don't Quit
Old 06-29-02, 05:48 PM
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Great Movie, Great Picture and Sound Quality but Average DVD.
Old 06-30-02, 01:42 PM
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Re: An interesting read

Originally posted by DAC
I received this e-mail from a friend of mine in the military. he got it from a friend of his who was there. I found it an interesting read and thought you all may enjoy it as well. He gives his thoughts on the accuracy of the film.
Wow, a fantastic post. Thank you very much for sharing that...
Old 07-02-02, 09:12 PM
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Re: An interesting read

Originally posted by DAC
I received this e-mail from a friend of mine in the military. he got it from a friend of his who was there. I found it an interesting read and thought you all may enjoy it as well. He gives his thoughts on the accuracy of the film.
That was a great email. Thankyou!

But, what it shows me is that no movie can show what it was really like going to war. Things have to be changed to make the movie. I give my regards to those who fought in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vitnam, Somalia and all the other places I have not mentioned.

I am gratiful for movies like Blackhawk Down, Pearl Harbor, SPR, Sheindler's List...we need these movies to remind us how war has been fought by many brave men and women. And that war changes the lives of all involved.
Old 07-03-02, 09:51 AM
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Great Movie, Great Picture & Sound Quality but Average Special Features.
Old 07-03-02, 01:17 PM
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Re: An interesting read

Originally posted by DAC
I received this e-mail from a friend of mine in the military. he got it from a friend of his who was there. I found it an interesting read and thought you all may enjoy it as well. He gives his thoughts on the accuracy of the film.

Wow. I really have nothing to say. But I'll try.

Screw M-J, Al Rod, Tom Cruise, Brittney Spears, Neon Dion, Dora the Explorer, Kennedys, or anyother "celeb" that people look up to. These guys are REAL heros.

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