Now this isn’t a popular viewpoint, but I’m becoming increasingly convinced that the talent transferred from Ridley Scott to his brother Tony about 15 years ago.

Ridley’s most recent effort is Black Hawk Down, and you might wonder what a bloke from South Shields is doing making movies about American forces getting massacred in Somalia. Anyway, this is as well-made as you might expect, it has a terrific bleached look (although that’s becoming a bit de rigeur in action movies), a thumping soundtrack and the camera never stops moving for over two hours. There’s also a fine cast, with the honours stolen by Tom Sizemore and no explanation why Ewan MacGregor and Eric Bana are fighting in the US Army, and it’s undeniably exciting.

However you can’t help thinking that it’s a funny old world where recent wars are turned into Boys Own entertainment, with only a little bit of political analysis thrown in as an afterthought. And it must seem even odder to the citizens of Morocco, watching half their country being blown up to recreate it.

Mild Peril Rating:

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Twitter