From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (The Martian) and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor) comes the gripping true story about bravery, camaraderie, and the complex reality of war.
BLACK HAWK DOWN stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Eric Bana. In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has led to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes quickly and terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives.
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[youtube https://youtu.be/B0HH3Rt5Kow?si=8V7MOv9S8pSe-SLm&t=4915]
Video Quality
The new 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook release of Black Hawk Down offers a monumental uptick in quality over the accompanying Blu-Ray from the early days of the format in 2006. The film was already released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray four years ago in 2019 in standard HDR10, and we cannot say that this new release offers a significant difference from that terrific presentation, but it does offer the premiere exhibition of the film. The main difference on the video side of things with this new release is the inclusion of Dolby Vision, which utilizes a new HDR pass that finds greater depths within the color spectrum and tidies up any nagging encode issues. Not to mention, some of the previous player-generated subtitles for non-English dialogue have now been hardcoded to the picture for this new release which enhances the quality of the source. This alone may be enough to upgrade for some viewers.
As you expect from Sony, this release delivers a practically flawless film grain structure that resolves perfectly without any unnatural fluctuation or movement. There are no signs of digital tinkering on this transfer, so this disc is free of DNR, compression artifacts, and other encoding issues. The uniforms and crumbling warzone are presented with impeccable clarity and immense texture. There is a vast array of subtle details layering every environment that are visible thanks to the 4K resolution. Skin tones appear much more natural and consistent than the Blu-Ray with stunning doses of fine detail apparent on faces such as perspiration, grime, and blood. The display of visceral carnage is a grotesque sight that is not softened with this 4K resolution.
For many the greatest gain for this transfer will be the refinement of the colors and contrast on display. The Dolby Vision/HDR serves up a more impressive selection of colors that this technology somehow dials into something quite brilliant. The searing highlights in the film are more pure, yet more tightly controlled with blooming all but eliminated. Black levels achieve greater prominence by staying deep and inky with great detail. This especially comes in handy in the third act of the film taking place at night. The hues are complex and accurate to what was intended by the creative team. Even the distinct color grading offers more complexity at every turn. Those who are Dolby Vision capable will be knocked sideways by what this film can deliver. This new transfer presents this film in its ideal state for home entertainment.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray ports over both the previous Dolby Atmos track and the original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio which gives the film a momentous sonic quality with unparalleled precision and saturation. Both of these tracks are top-tier in their own ways and capably bring this realistic nightmare right into your living room. Those who choose the newer Dolby Atmos track will go on the same dynamic journey as the original soundtrack without any age-related flaws, only with a more enveloping and formidable use of your additional surround and height speakers.
Dialogue comes second to the action throughout this story, but what is on display is crisp and clear without ever getting drowned out by competing elements. The film really soars when it comes to the unforgettable score from Hans Zimmer which accompanies the narrative very well. The Atmos track renders the action sound effects appropriately within the mix so that directionality is never a concern. Every single sound feels natural and terrifying in a way that will have your pulse pounding. The track provides emphasis on the activity in the surrounds, rears, and overhead speakers to make the space feel more three-dimensional. The sounds up above are deployed incredibly well as they fully transport you into the action. The low-end effects from the subwoofer dig deep when it comes to the action sequences, of which there are plenty. Sony has delivered a mighty audio experience for fans. There are optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
Sony has provided Black Hawk Down with a sleek new SteelBook featuring artwork that is truly lovely in person. The front artwork features soldiers on the ground with helicopters overhead, and the rear features a fallen helmet with reflections of war in the visor. The interior sports a still of a wartime conflict. Video of the SteelBook can be found at the top of this review.
4K UHD (Feature Film)
- Theatrical Version (2:24:18) and Extended Version (2:31:50)
Blu-Ray (Feature Film)
- Theatrical Version (2:24:19)
- Audio Commentaries: A trio of commentary tracks is provided from equally engaging perspectives that allow you to learn more about the film from a technical and emotional angle. If you can only choose one, be sure to listen to the track with the real-life heroes from this conflict.
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- Audio Commentary #1: Author Mark Bowden and Screenwriter Ken Nolan
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- Audio Commentary #2: Director Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer
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- Audio Commentary #3: U.S. Special Forces Veterans ‘93
- The Essence of Combat – Making Black Hawk Down: A six-part documentary on the making of this film totaling 152 minutes (as long as the extended cut of the film!) is provided here in which the cast, creative team, and real-life heroes dive into the experience of making this a reality. This piece tackles the process of faithfully adapting this true story, the training and performances, the location shooting and action set pieces, the personal stories explored, the visual effects, the post-production process, and the release of the film out to the world.
Blu-Ray (Bonus Disc)
- Black Hawk Down – On The Set: A 24-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the real-life events depicted in the film, the location shooting, the filming of action scenes, rehearsals, the direction of Ridley Scott, and more.
- The History Channel – The True Story of Black Hawk Down: A 92-minute television program from The History Channel is provided that covers the real-life event depicted in the film.
- Frontline – Ambush In Mogadishu: A 55-minute television program from PBS is provided that covers the real-life event depicted in the film.
- Question & Answer Forums: Three Q&A forums from the time of the film’s release are provided here which explore a more general range of questions at BAFTA and American Cinematheque and more specific questions about editing at the Editor’s Guild.
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- BAFTA (10:25)
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- Editor’s Guild (10:30)
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- American Cinematheque (11:43)
- “Target Building Insertion” (6 Angles) with Commentary: First Assistant Director Terry Needham provides an interesting six-minute assessment of what it is like to work with Ridley Scott while breaking down a key scene from six different camera angles.
- Deleted & Alternate Scenes: Eight unused scenes are provided in a rough, window-boxed form totaling 20 minutes. You have the option to view these with optional audio commentary from Ridley Scott.
- Music Video: Denez Prigent & Lisa Gerrard – Gortoz a Ran – J’Attends: A four-minute video is provided here.
- Image & Design: Four featurettes are provided here totaling 30 minutes that explore the storyboards and visualization of the production design of the film, the creation of various aesthetic elements, and more.
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- Designing Mogadishu (13:08)
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- Ridleygrams with Commentary (7:23)
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- Jerry Bruckheimer’s On-Set Photography (5:30)
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- Invisible Design/Title Exploration with Commentary (3:28)
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.
- Original TV Spots: There are 10 TV spots totaling six-and-a-half minutes provided.
- Photo Galleries: There are galleries provided for Production Photos, Production Design, and Poster Explorations.
Final Thoughts
Black Hawk Down is a visceral depiction of combat from the great Ridley Scott that succeeds on the action front as well as the personal. The actual beats of the narrative are not terribly complicated, but it is executed with such precision that you cannot help but be mesmerized. One of the major factors of this movie is the impressive ensemble, as this features nearly every known or up-and-coming male performer of the day. This film is such an impressive achievement. Sony Pictures has released a fantastic new Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook featuring a grand A/V presentation and enough special features to keep you busy for a long time. If you only own this one on Blu-Ray or not at all, this package is a pivotal addition to any collection. Highly Recommended
Black Hawk Down is currently available to purchase on Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.