Black Hawk Down on DVD

Starring Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor), Eric Bana (Chopper, Troy, Munich) and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of The Clones, Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of The Sith), Black Hawk Down is a gripping true story about bravery, camaradarie, and the complex reality of war.

Including those listed above, Black Hawk Down features a fine all-star cast. Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) does an exceptional job in what little he's in the film. William Fichtner (The Perfect Storm) is great and he isn't in the film for more than 10 minutes. Ewen Bremner (Snatch) is good for what could easily be called an "extra" role. Sam Shephard (All The Pretty Horses) is great for his minor and perfectly fitting role. Plus, look out for several appearances by an almost bald Orlando Bloom (Lord of The Rings Trilogy).

In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. Among the men is S.Sgt. Matt Eversmann (Hartnett), Spec. John Grimes (McGregor), Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (Sizemore), and Sfc. Norm "Hoot" Hooten (Bana). When the mission goes quickly and terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives. 

In the first few scenes in which we're pretty well introduced to all of the men, it becomes clear that only a handful have any combat experiences. They give those who are naive to such serious situations advice, and try to help them understand why they do what they do. Ridley Scott shows us all of the things the men do out of boredom, how the military operated in this situation, and touches on the reasons it's so important that they're there.