Heroism is a key element of any decent action film. Heck, the "hero epic" is the story archeytpe behind some of the greatest films in recent history, from Star Wars to The Matrix to Gladiator to Bravehart. Sometimes the hero epic manifests itself as pure fiction, like the first two, and other times it wears the trappings of history like the latter films. It comes in different flavors as well, truimphant like Star Wars and The Matrix, or tragic like Gladiator and Braveheart. Either way, when told masterfully, the hero epic is exciting, inspiring and completely fulfilling.

Black Hawk Down, too, is a movie about heroism, but it is not a hero epic. And yet, the heroism displayed in it is so compelling that it makes the aforementioned classics, for a moment, feel hollow. Because Black Hawk Down is real. Like the the firefighters on 9/11, or the passengers who overcame their hijackers that same day to avert further damage to our nation at the cost of their own lives, the United States soldiers in Black Hawk Down, Rangers and Delta Force alike, are real people in situations you and I could find ourselves in -- and they act with such disarming bravery and selflessness towards their brothers in battle that it makes you pause and wonder: If it were me, would I come through like this person?

Having grown up in the 1980s and 1990s, my concept of the "war movie" is shaped by films about Vietnam. Platoon, Born On The Fourth Of July, Deer Hunter and movies of this kind ingrained in me the concept of a modern war movie as a film about suffering, despair and hopelessness. Black Hawk Down shows us another side of war, a side that gives us real heroes whose actions humble us, who give us something we can be proud of as Americans.

On the heels of his nearly perfect Gladiator, director Ridley Scott delivers another gem here. From Scott's inspired direction, to the film's brilliant score that summons moving African music in a way that very much lends a genuineness to the setting, to the incredible dizzying sound, to the flawless editing, to the standout performances from Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana and others, there is so much that works about this film that listing gripes would amount to petty hair splitting.

Black Hawk Down is a must see, and a testament to the American spirit, that even in defeat, these soldiers act with such grace and nobility, determined to leave no man behind.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

- Chris Kivlehan