Rated R, directed by Ridley Scott, with Josh Hartnett (Eversmann), Ewan McGregor (Grimes), Tom Sizemore (McKnight), Eric Bana (Hoot), William Fichtner (Sanderson), Ewen Bremner (Nelson), Sam Shepard (Garrison), running time: 143 minutes.
US troops, in Mogadishu, Somalia, as part of a 1993 UN peacekeeping detail plan to kidnap members of the inner circle of a Somali warlord. When their helicopters are brought down, the mission changes to a rescue operation. Unfortunately, much of the politics that lie at the heart of the true story are neatly overlooked in order to have the US boys (yes, Ewan McGregor sounds fresh off the farm) come across as pure as driven snow. Despite the strong cast, the dialogue seems to come straight from earlier Jerry Bruckheimer productions like The Rock. In fact, this could be Top Gun for infantrymen -- it's that slick. Even the bullet tracers seem coordinated to the film's color palette. Would that the US' involvement in Somalia had been as cleanly staged as Ridley Scott's take on it.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BUENA VISTA
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