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Alas, then came the horrendous Hannibal, which grossed hundreds of millions worldwide but did little for Scott's artistic balance sheet, and now comes his third film in as many a year, the disappointing Black Hawk Down. Hailed by some as the next Saving Private Ryan, the film attempts to update the stale war genre by dramatizing a more modern conflict, a downed chopper full of elite soldiers forced to wage a small war in Somalia in order to escape. Adapted from the novel by Mark Bowden and based on a real-life incident that drew fire from all sides as well as charges of governmental mishandling, against all odds Black Hawk Down becomes yet another generic Jerry Bruckheimer action-fest. Perhaps the film rings so hollow because it is less a chance for Scott to do something interesting with the material than an excuse to, finally, make his war movie.

Indeed, Black Hawk Down is an impressive spectacle, but then can we expect any less from producer Bruckheimer? Far better than the terrible Pearl Harbor, all of Scott's trademark visual finesse is here. Choppers crash, bullets whiz all around, soldiers scream indecipherable commands at each other and copious amounts of blood are spent. All that's missing is a real sense of perspective on the conflict that would have elevated the film above more than a mere hi-tech video game. I don't expect a film to necessarily tackle political topics, but if you're going to pick a battle as fraught with casualties as this - personal, political, moral - you better have something to say, or what's the point?

With the Somalians registering as little more than repositories for gunfire, it is up to a cast of over 30 principals and supporting cast to carry the weak script. But as he showed in Pearl Harbor, lead Josh Hartnett's subdued demeanor and pug-dog expressions fail to sustain a two hour-plus epic, and the film also suffers due to hiring what seems to be every notable young male actor working in Hollywood today. As seems so common lately, it is distracting when every new face that pops up on the screen is recognizable. It may help at the box office, but wouldn't a cast comprised primarily of unknowns had been more effective?

Certainly, Black Hawk Down is no more grisly in its depiction of war carnage than Saving Private Ryan, Platoon or the more surreal Apocalypse Now, yet it left me feeling nothing but disquiet. Films like Ryan and Platoon, whatever their weaknesses, display a moral center and dare to take a decisive stance on the horrors they are depicting. But by the end of the second hour of Scott's ballet of gore and gunfire - almost technically too brilliant - it felt merely exploitative. Given what little we know of the men, the brief platitudes offered by the script, and the lack of political context, the effect is numbing and we've already seen this war carnival of horrors before. Too bad no one was courageous enough to take a stand on what the real issues at hand were in this "military mishap." Scott and Bruckheimer resist coming to any conclusions at the end of the film, and a documentary-like approach to the material would have been fine. But the film's excessive stylizations and the rah-rah jingoism of the interpersonal conflicts between the soldiers betray that notion and telegraph their motives all the same.

Perhaps the best indication as to why Black Hawk Down feels like one big pulled punch can be found in its closing credit crawl. We're told that over 1,000 Somalians and 19 American soldiers died in the skirmish. The Americans are listed by name, the Somalians are not. And that's all you're going to learn from Black Hawk Down.

Dan's counterpoint: Modern film is typically organized into three acts. As the characters move through the story development, the viewer rightfully anticipates individual arcs that show emotional evolution. When the genre is war, the filmmakers strive to establish their characters so the audience may come to identify and empathize with them. In Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg provided ample opportunity to get to know his characters beyond their combat roles as they walked to their objective. With the exception of an inadequate half-hour prelude, no such opportunity may be found in Black Hawk Down. And I agree that we've experience appalling combat onscreen before. So what is the point?

One doesn't have to agree with the motivations that brought these Americans to Somalia, or the tactics employed to accomplish our goals, or the political decisions that shaped the aftermath, to appreciate the valor and professionalism of the young men who were caught up in a successful special ops mission that went terribly wrong. This film is an accurate and brutal reconstruction of a horrific battle in which our overwhelmingly outnumbered professional soldiers fought and struggled to survive. They were immersed in a conflict of tribal warfare in which a local merciless warlord was using starvation as a weapon. Our people were wounded and killed as they supported a humanitarian effort that escalated into open warfare.

So the film becomes a tribute to the young men who were unfailingly loyal to their fellows and comported themselves with gallantry. That Somalis were driven to such violence to sustain disproportionate casualties is yet another tragedy of the ethnic and tribal warfare that rages on the African continent, made somewhat clearer in the recent Tears of the Sun. Within extensive supplements, this three-disc Deluxe Edition educates the viewer on the factual background, including the influence of drugs to induce a killing frenzy. It fills the gaps that would have driven the runtime of Black Hawk Down to impractical length. Perhaps Ridley Scott assumed the audience was sufficiently aware of current events to gloss over the historical context, just as Spielberg in Ryan didn't describe Hitler's rise to power and the Nazi invasion of Europe. Now, let's see what I thought of the presentation quality and the supplements.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 is presented in anamorphic video. In one of the supplements, Ridley Scott is described as a director that likes to manipulate light, specifically bringing light out of darkness. Perhaps that may explain the black crush. The bottom end of the video dynamic range is compressed, creating dark voids without shadow detail. And chroma is slightly exaggerated and manipulated; Scott applies filters that impart distinctive tints. The overall effect is hot. It's like being out on a bright, sunny day, so bright that you're forced to squint and your irises contract. Objects in deep shadow become indistinct and your depth of field is extended. Hot. But while the DVD's chroma is vivid, there is no evidence of smearing or chroma noise. This is a Columbia TriStar release, so some edge halos are present. I'm pleased to say that they are minor and never intrude. Small object detail and fine textures are very good, particularly noticeable in the fine features of Mogadishu as seen from the air. Modest film grain is visible throughout, but that only contributes to the illusion of film. I noticed no compression artifacts.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is quite fine. Surround effects are spread nicely around the rear of the theater. Despite this not being an official EX mix, the track will benefit from EX decoding. The viewer is immersed in combat and aircraft noises. As you might expect in a combat film, deep bass is present, requiring a capable subwoofer to fully appreciate. Gunfire, particularly from the 50 mm automatic weapons, has a visceral audible impact. Hans Zimmer's eclectic score, a fusion of African, Middle Eastern, and Western themes is presented with pleasing detail and spaciousness. The score is spread out in front of the viewer and extends beyond the boundaries of the screen with judicious mixing into the surrounds. Despite all the sonic fireworks, the dialog remains remarkably clear throughout. And no compression raspiness is heard.

No DTS track has been included. I suspect that the inclusion of two alternative languages, French and Spanish both in Dolby Digital 5.1, and the inclusion of three commentary tracks blew out the audio bit budget. The audio is supported by subtitles in French, Spanish, Chinese, Thai and English, for which Closed Captions are also provided.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

This three-disc Deluxe Edition raises the supplement bar; there is an astonishing array of extras that will occupy you for days. To begin, on disc one you will find three feature-length commentaries, so simply watching the feature and listening to the comments will expend just shy of ten hours.

The first commentary is by producer- director Ridley Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer; Scott dominates. They discuss the incident's historical background, body appliances, casting, their relationships with the Defense Department, reproducing the realities of the site, and many other aspects of the shoot. Scott spends quite a bit of time on the event's background and the fog of war, and how these events affected his artistically sensibilities. Bruckheimer adds a bit to the background, describes some of the casting, and was apparently the point man in the negotiations with the DoD. The second commentary is by novelist Mark Bowden and screenwriter Ken Nowlan. They discuss the efforts to ensure that the story was told accurately, pointing out changes and differences between the novel and the screenplay. This is a surprisingly lighthearted commentary considering the nature of the material. Nolan offers interesting and entertaining anecdotes from the set. The third commentary track is the most compelling; it features Task Force Ranger veterans. Forced subtitles identify the individuals as they comment. This track is the ultimate reality. These guys speak with authority as they compare their experiences with what is portrayed. As you might expect, they speak to elements that differ from actual events, but acknowledging the necessities of filmmaking. For example, the 1-mile jog at the end of the film was dramatic license. They were very appreciative of the aspects of the film they believed to be an accurate depiction of the incident and the tribute paid to the combatants. It's significant that these experienced veterans paid the highest compliments to Scott and Bruckheimer.

The only other feature on disc one is the familiar Filmography extra. Eight of the players and twelve of the filmmakers are covered. The 144-minute feature is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

Disc two offers an extensive full screen documentary entitled THE ESSENCE OF COMBAT: Making Black Hawk Down. This 151-minute film is actually longer than the feature, divided into six sections or chapters which may be played individually or sequentially. Getting It Right (23 minutes) describes the failure of the media to provide accurate coverage, the research and writing of the book, and the commitment made by the filmmakers and players to honor the men caught up in that urban firefight. Crash Course (30 minutes) takes us to the modified boot camps the players experienced as they prepared for their roles. Procedural and stylistic elements were emphasized, but the players absorbed the culture of the units and grew to appreciate the military credo. Battlefield: Morocco (30 minutes) describes the selection and dressing of abandoned areas of Morocco as the location for the shoot. It's here that we begin to learn more about the efforts of the production, set, and costume designers. Hymn To The Fallen (18 minutes) highlights the work of score composer Hans Zimmer. This film was apparently scored in a much more improvisational manner than most. That aspect alone makes his chapter a bit more unusual than the typical scoring segment. Digital Warriors (25 minutes) describes the film's special effects, and differentiates between practical effects and CGI. Nicely done, I have to admit that I was fooled by several of the effects that had been created in software. The last section is called After Action Report (25 minutes). Here, the players and the combat veterans contemplate the horrific urbane combat commemorated by Black Hawk Down.

Next is the Image and Design supplement, where you will find five shorts with an aggregate runtime of 38 minutes plus sections with a generous selection of stills. The first short is on Designing Mogadishu (15 minutes), in which we get a better understanding of how Morocco was made to be a realistic surrogate. Next is the Production Design Archive, an impressive collection of stills. Storyboards (7 minutes) may be played with or without a commentary by Sylvain Despretz, the film's storyboard artist. Two angles are possible, with or without the finished sequence running in a parallel window. Ridleygrams is a similar feature that also runs 7 minutes. Ridley Scott is a trained illustrator and he frequently demonstrates his approach with drawings of his own. As with the previous feature, they may be played with or without Sylvain Despretz's commentary and in one of two views. Jerry Bruckheimer's Photo Album (6 minutes) is a narrated photo gallery of pictures taken by the producer while on location. Photo Galleries is another huge selection of stills from the shoot. And finally we have Title Design Explorations (3 minutes) with an optional commentary by graphic artist Flavio (Kampah) Campagna, in which we see alternatives to the theatrical opening sequence.

Deleted & Alternate Scenes is a twenty-minute collection of eight sequences that didn't make the final cut. They may be played individually or sequentially, and with or without Ridley Scott's commentary. I found the scene in which General William Garrison seems devastated by the toll his men paid during the firefight to be particularly poignant. It wasn't that long, and would have helped with his arc. Disc two is supported by subtitles in Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean. If you still have some remaining stamina after the five hours or so required to absorb the extras on disc two, move on to disc three.

The first section on the third disc is the Historical Archive. Here you will find two lengthy documentaries that had been previously cablecast or broadcast. The History Channel Presents: The True Story of Black Hawk Down (100 minutes) and PBS's Frontline: Ambush in Mogadishu (60 minutes) provide comprehensive looks at the events depicted in this film. Understandably more complete from the point of view of hindsight, the political and social backgrounds and aftermath are covered with far greater depth. These programs are slightly duplicative, but make clear why we were there (humanitarian reasons) and how the government reacted to the conflict (we withdrew). Veterans of the conflict may be heard in both presentations. Also in this section is the Mission Timeline. Click on a time icon and a screen will display a text description of the state of the incident.

Target Building Insertion (5:37) is a multi- angle feature that demonstrates how Ridley Scott filmed coverage with six cameras. You may choose a composite view or a view from one of the six cameras. This sequence may be played with production sound or with some interesting comments by first assistant director Terry Needham.

Q & A Forums are three question and answer sessions taped during the publicity tour for the film. The first is at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (10:26). Ridley Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer, Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Jason Issacs, Mark Bowden and Tom Matthews field questions from host Andrew Collins and the audience. The next took place at the Motion Picture Editor's Guild (10:29); hosted by Bennett Goldberg, it features editor Pietro Scalia. The last was sponsored by American Cinematheque (11:43), and featured Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer. Dennis Bartok hosts. Based on the editing, I was left with the impression that duplicated material was removed, leaving only an even distribution of original exchanges. Some new material, not found elsewhere on the discs, may be heard here.

In the Promotion section, you'll find the film's theatrical trailer presented in respectable 1.85:1 anamorphic video and ten full screen TV spots. The Poster Concepts section has dozens of one-sheet candidates; the last one displayed is the winner. You'll find a music video of "Gortoz A Ran – J- Attends" (3:54) performed by Denez Prignent and Lisa Gerrard, immediately followed by a promo (0:30) for the Black Hawk Down film score CD. There are two bonus trailers, also shown in respectable 1.85:1 anamorphic video: Tears of the Sun (2:29); and, Basic (1:53). The third disc is supported by subtitles in Spanish and Korean.

And last but not least, Columbia TriStar has included a rebate coupon offering $5 to those who purchase both Tears of the Sun and Black Hawk Down Deluxe Edition.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

Suprisingly given all that's included, there are no extras for your PC.

Parting Thoughts