This one falls a little farther back on my list than it did on most other critics’ lists. It’s not that I didn’t like it; if that were true it wouldn’t be on my list to begin with. I just feel that making a highly detailed war film that recreates the horrors of the battlefield has already been done many times over. At this point, a detailed war film is no longer original and should strive to convey some greater truth than “war is hell.” Directed by Ridley Scott, considered the master of modern film violence, Black Hawk Down follows the failed American raid on the Somali city of Mogadishu from the perspectives of several characters both inside and outside of the action. If you aren’t familiar with the events surrounding the Battle of Mogadishu here is a brief synopsis: a warlord who had taken control of the food supply in Somalia was exploiting and killing the Somali people. The American military decided to get involved and sent in a few helicopters full of troops to take out the warlord. However, the plans were thrown off course when one of the helicopters was brought down by a ground-to-air missile, killing some troops and stranding others in the hostile streets of Mogadishu. The US lost more than a few troops in the battle not because they were unequipped, but because they were unprepared for the massive response from the native population, who overtook and killed several US troops without even being armed. The horrible events of the day are shown through the gold and brown filters of the cinematography, bringing a tone of harshness and overwhelming heat and stress to the film. The acting is also superb as the various main characters (including Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor) deal with obstacles like having no medical treatment, no water, no air support, and being fired upon from every conceivable angle. There are problems that arise from having too many main characters, namely that we don’t spend enough time with any of them to get to know them and sympathize with them, but this was a decision based mostly on being able to show the audience all the various viewpoints of the battle rather than having a clear, non-confusing storyline. Despite the confusion of so many characters and the lack of a real message or application, Black Hawk Down works well as a historical account of the battle and is one of the most technically well-done war films in history and certainly one of the best action movies of the year.