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Directed by: Ridley Scott
Script by: Ken Nolan
Genre: War drama
Duration: 2 h 24’
Nationality: USA |
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| Cast: Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, Ewan McGregor, Sam Shepard, William Fichtner, Eric Bana, Jason Isaacs, Gregory Sporle |
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In 1993, U.S. Marines are engaged in a special mission in Somalia to defeat the arm forces of the “Lord of War”, Aidid: after the shooting down of two Black Hawk helicopters, the operation turns into a massacre until President Clinton commands the withdrawal of U.S. troops and ratifies the most humiliating setback in the U.S. national history after the war in Vietnam. The war according to Ridley Scott. The movie is aesthetically overfilled (viewers must forget the abstractness and the metaphysical suggestions, also inspired by cubist and De Chirico’s painting and by Ungaretti’s poetry. Those elements were the real strongholds of masterpieces such as “Full Metal Jacket” or “The Thin Red Line”) and the director tries to remain ideologically impartial. The movie surprises for its completely and incredibly flat rhythm (there are no ups and downs, the viewer never feels strong blunting sentiments in the chaotic situation of the guerrilla) rather than for the obvious rhetoric ending or for Scott’s style, which, with its cutting back lightings, slow frame sequences and translucent frames – it is now limited to the advertising standards of his brother Tony. Nothing therefore seems to be definitive, as it was announced – although it is inspired by a real event (but one knows that in art it is never important to look for the truth!) and has many historical connections with the current world and U.S. history. As a matter of fact, the distribution of the movie has been delayed after the tragedy of 11th September 2001. The interpretations of McGregor and Shepard seem to be “wasted”, and the “Eastwood-alike cowboys” are too many; the same can be said about the foregrounds of Hartnett, justified for his success in the “war or beauty fare" movie “Pearl Harbor”. The Italian dubbing is certainly irritating and racist when the words of the African men sold to the enemy are left in the original language with subtitles. Not to mention the copying from other movie scenes (the helicopters march from “Apocalypse Now”, the absence of sound as in “Saving Private Ryan”, etc.).
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