Black Hawk Down

This weeks film was a real treat since it's one of my favourite films. Black Hawk Down is about a mission that took place in Somalia, when the U.S. Rangers and Delta Force attempted to capture people associated with a renegade warlord. The mission goes horribly wrong when a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter is shot down and what was planned as capture mission turned into a rescue mission.The Film is beautifully directed by Ridley Scott. The way it is shot makes you think that every single shot was carefully planned out and shot, and this is evident in the special features disc. I'd really recommend everyone to watch the extras disc if you can get a hold of it. It shows the storyboarding phase well and all the preparation and thoughts that go into the film.

Black Hawk Down also features and A list cast, with the likes of Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, Ewan McGregor, Josh Hartnett and William Fichtner, all of which attended a boot camp to ensure the all acted and moved like real soldiers.

The sound in this film is also exceptional, every shot, explosion and ricochet makes you feel a part of the whole experience, and at the end of the day, that's what it's all about.

I'm not going to go on and on about how great this film is, so I'll say one more thing...watch it and be blown away.

Michael is the Mann

This weeks film was Collateral. I've been looking forward to watching this ever since Mike mentioned it, and I have to say its one of my favourite films, OK so I've got a fair few favourites but it's still up there.

First of all I have to say that I love the looks of every Michael Mann film I've seen, there's something about them which gives them style whilst looking different from each other. Miami Vice was another good one which I think used the whole digital camera technique, not to mention Crockett and Tubbs are as cool as a cucumber with shades.


I think that Jamie Foxx played the part of the unlucky and stressed out cab driver well having his freak out moments and doing all he can to escape the situation without success. Tom Cruise also fitted right into the role, showing a cool, calm and collected hit man, who possibly couldn't be any cooler with a gun.

The clash of the very different characters is interesting, Vincent (Tom Cruise) living in the moment and improvising, which is what most of his hits come down to, whilst Max (Jamie Foxx) being a planner, having a schedule, just like with his limo company he is setting up.

The colours used in the film are also worth talking about, with it's acidic colours making L.A. a bleak and seedy looking place.

If you enjoyed this film you really must check out some of Michael Mann's others...

The Kingdom, Miami Vice and Heat