War! What Is It Good For? Apparently, Extremely Compelling Films…

21. Black Hawk Down

Image Source: Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY NETWORK

Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down tells the story of a U.S. military raid in Somalia that went disastrously wrong when optimistic plans ran into unexpected resistance. In 1993, 18 Americans lost their lives, and 70 more were wounded. Within days, President Clinton pulled out troops that were on a humanitarian mission. Scott’s them-against-us war procedural is about as relentless as Saving Private Ryan — but without the bullsh*t plot, hokey dialogue and in-your-face flag-waving.