Reel Critics -- Conflict captured in ‘Black Hawk Down’; ‘Gosford

Park’ is worth the effort

Richard Brunette and Tricia Behle

Based on Mark Bowden’s nonfiction book of the same name, the film

“Black Hawk Down” is an account of the 1993 military incident in which

about 100 American special forces soldiers were sent into the Somalian

town of Mogadishu on a mission to capture two high-ranking advisors to a

local warlord.

The story details how things rapidly spun out of control, resulting in

Army Delta Force soldiers and Rangers becoming surrounded by thousands of

Somalian militia. After being trapped, the Americans had to fight their

way out of the city, the consequences of which amounted to a final body

count of 18 Americans and 1,000 Somalians. Ultimately, it resulted in a

withdrawal of these American military units from Somalia.

Speaking at a special film screening this weekend about what attracted

him to “Black Hawk Down,” director Ridley Scott said he was intrigued as

to how a military operation planned to take 39 minutes could go wrong and

turn into a 15-hour continuous battle, the intensity of which American

soldiers hadn’t been involved in since Vietnam’s Tet Offensive. He also

indicated it was the first time a battle was videotaped live, by

helicopters flying overhead, and in real time, being relayed to nearby

U.S. commanders to watch as the battle unfolded.

“Black Hawk Down” is an unflinching look at what happened, complete

with violent scenes, death and gore. But none of the bloodshed portrayed

is simply for the sake of violence or shock value. Warfare is messy, and

people die horrifically.Graphically realistic in its depiction of the

carnage, Scott was asked if he thought the film glorified violence, to

which he responded, “Well, it isn’t really a recruiting film, now is it.”

He further added, “no one should walk away from this film with

romantic notions of war.”

An honest and straightforward film, “Black Hawk Down” doesn’t

second-guess what took place, nor does it make either a positive or

negative statement about the incident or those who participated in it. It

doesn’t paint the Americans overtly as heroes or the Somalians as evil.

However, it does portray what seasoned soldiers know to be true: People

die, and things go wrong when the fighting begins.

And when bullets start flying past your head, all the politics and

reasons for being there cease to matter. Then it’s only about fighting

for and backing up the guy beside you, and that’s it. Period. And there

is something heroic about that.

Starring a large number of excellent actors, including Josh Hartnett,

Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, William Fichtner and Sam Shepard,

the film is really an ensemble piece with no leading man, other than the

film’s narrator, played by Hartnett, through whose eyes we see the story

unfold. It is a very hectic, frenetic piece of storytelling, often

confusing, with scenes jumping around from one set of characters to

another, capturing the spirit of chaos and confusion as it would actually

be in battle. Scott himself joked sometimes that the only way he could

tell who was who was because they had their names written on their

helmets.

Bottom line: Rated R for intense violence, on the Brunette scale of

Pay Full Price, Bargain Matinee, Video Rental, Wait for Cable, or TV

Movie of the Week, I rate “Black Hawk Down” as a borderline Pay Full

Price. I was swayed in favor of this in part because it co-stars Brian

Van Holt, the son of my old boss and longtime, now retired, city of Costa

Mesa Parks and Recreation Director Keith Van Holt.

* RICHARD BRUNETTE, 38, is a recreation supervisor for the city of

Costa Mesa and a Costa Mesa resident.

Class is showing in ‘Gosford Park’

“Gosford Park” asks for a lot of effort from its audience, but rewards

them richly for it. There are dozens of characters and multiple story

lines to follow, of which only a few are clearly introduced. Most of the

time, you have to listen carefully to the film’s dialogue to figure out

who each character is, how they relate to everyone else, and why they are

there.

The film is set in 1932 at Gosford Park, the English country house of

Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife, Lady Sylvia (Kristin

Scott Thomas). A number of their friends and family, and the associated

personal servants, have arrived for a weekend shooting party.

Since the cast consists of many of Britain’s most respected actors

(Emily Watson, Alan Bates, Helen Mirren, Derek Jacobi, Jeremy Northam,

etc.), it is no surprise that the acting is fantastic. Even among such

company, Maggie Smith stands out brilliantly as the snobbish,

inconsiderate, condescending Constance, Countess of Trentham.

The main plot is a murder mystery, but the murder and the subsequent

investigation are not really what the film is about. Director Robert

Altman and writer Julian Fellowes use these plot devices to examine the

changing social structure of England in the 1930s.

The traditional English class system is crumbling, having been dealt a

staggering blow by the social upheavals caused by World War I. The old

aristocratic class looks down in disdain at the nouveau riche, while at

the same time desperately trying to marry into or otherwise attach itself

to this same rising class. The old family fortunes are gone, and the

nobility are dependent on the newly wealthy to sustain their social

stations.

The social structure is also showing cracks downstairs among the

servants. The older servants follow the old idea that a servant should

not have any life of his or her own, that they live to cater to their

employer’s every whim. The younger servants visibly chafe at the old

rigid conventions and the strict class boundaries.

What the characters in the movie don’t know, but the audience watching

them does, is that in a few short years World War II will cause even

greater social upheaval and change. “Gosford Park” mixes both serious

commentary and many laughs while taking a last glimpse at a disappearing

age.

“Gosford Park” is rated R for some language and brief sexuality.

* TRICIA BEHLE, 33, lives in Newport Beach and works as a software

validator.