Having bought and read the book a few times - which I thought was a superb piece of writing - I was thrilled to receive the DVD as a Xmas present. Anticipating the usual Hollywood hoopla and revisionism I was agreeably surprised at how faithfully the film followed the real events and how effectively the director was able to re-create the very real drama of the actual event. The producers and (perhaps more importantly, the director) avoided the temptation to embroider the Mogadishu raid with fluff and yet managed to insert very real aspects of close combat such as the machine gunner who temporarily loses his hearing because of his partner firing his SAW to close to his [partner's] head. This reeked of veracity. (One of the more absurdities of modern filmdom is how protagonists casually shrug off the stupefying and deafening effect of high powered weapons fired in close proximity or in an enclosed situation).
If I have one disappointment it was that in the epiloge the producers failed to fasten the blame for the Mogadishu fiasco on the [then] existing Washington administration for failing to approve the use of light armor (and specialised air support) for the Mogadishu raid. Although I suppose that it will be rationalised in history it must be galling for the American Special Forces (Rangers and Delta Force operatives) to accept that they were actually rescued by light armor elements of despised third world countries (eg Pakistan & Malaysia) using lightly armored APC's long discarded by the American military. But I suppose that Hollywood can hardly be expected to risk the 'black' list by being too honest.
Now to the technical flaw. It's simple really - no flies! In BHD blood flows like water and in that part of the world blood attracts flies. I haven't been in Somalia but I have spent time in South-East Egypt and I know that if one scratches a pimple and draws blood, then several thousand flies flock in for a feast. In BHD no flies; zilch, nuttin, nada. Even in Morocco where BHD was filmed - no flies.
Trivial perhaps! But for me and a few thousand others who have served in the general region this impinges on reality. But then I suppose integrity has its limits.
If I have one disappointment it was that in the epiloge the producers failed to fasten the blame for the Mogadishu fiasco on the [then] existing Washington administration for failing to approve the use of light armor (and specialised air support) for the Mogadishu raid. Although I suppose that it will be rationalised in history it must be galling for the American Special Forces (Rangers and Delta Force operatives) to accept that they were actually rescued by light armor elements of despised third world countries (eg Pakistan & Malaysia) using lightly armored APC's long discarded by the American military. But I suppose that Hollywood can hardly be expected to risk the 'black' list by being too honest.
Now to the technical flaw. It's simple really - no flies! In BHD blood flows like water and in that part of the world blood attracts flies. I haven't been in Somalia but I have spent time in South-East Egypt and I know that if one scratches a pimple and draws blood, then several thousand flies flock in for a feast. In BHD no flies; zilch, nuttin, nada. Even in Morocco where BHD was filmed - no flies.
Trivial perhaps! But for me and a few thousand others who have served in the general region this impinges on reality. But then I suppose integrity has its limits.