WAR for a common man is something that he/she gets to read in a newspaper every morning over their cup of tea/coffee.

WAR for a politician is nothing but to formulate a new domestic or foreign policy.

But what is WAR to the actual soldiers who are involved in it ???

Do they fight for a cause or do they die in vain ???

PLOT : " The film depicts the Battle of Mogadishu ,a raid by the United States' effort to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid "



Black Hawk Down is based on the book of the same title by Mark Bowden ,there are some critizations from various quarters that the depiction of the battle was more biased towards only the sufferings & hardships that the US troops faced.

But whatever might be the case the audience will never forget the fact that whatever country the troops represented they had fought not for their country but for the man standing next to him.

Ridley Scott ,the man who gave us the epic "Gladiator (2000)" delivers another masterpiece.His directional skills are evident throughout the film that runs for over 2 hours ,the film never ceases to amaze the audience on the issue at hand.

Screenplay by Ken Nolan is very racy & at the same time provides enough characterizations for the numerous characters in the film ,we could easily relate to the emotional bond that each soldier has for his fellow comrade.

Casting for the film is done really well ,with an ensemble cast of actors the film makers had a huge burden to take care ,the burden is to give the actors enough screen space & i should hand it out to them for executing this work with flair.

Each & every cast had their task cut out for them which they had lapped up superbly ,their acting was seen as a healthy competition that at the end proved to work for the benefit of the film.

Cinematography by Sławomir Idziak was something that greatly helped in the depiction of the battle sequences ,the color tone used ably pointed out the hardships faced by the soldiers.

This film won the oscar for best editing by Pietro Scalia ,why am i not surprised.The editor held the tension level of the film together right from the first shot ,the plot flows well & is never let to loose focus.

If you have a home theatre then this surely is a film to showcase your audio setup ,the oscar winning sound for the film is evident with the various gun shots ,missiles & swirling helicopters.

The background score by Hans Zimmer & Denez Prigent is another feather in the cap for the entire team ,it captures the essence of the backdrop & couples it efficiently with the various emotional moments.

I liked the way the movie was presented ,it never questions the politics behind the battle but focuses sorely on the actual ground realities where every soldier is fighting for himself.

A conversation in the film goes like this "Once that first bullet goes past your head, politics and all that shit just goes right out the window."

These lines hold true to those soldiers who risk their lives for their fellow comrades who stand by their oath to "LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND".

• Director : Ridley Scott

• Writers : Mark Bowden (book), Ken Nolan (screenplay)

• Cast : Josh Hartnett , Ewan McGregor , Tom Sizemore , Eric Bana , William Fichtner , Ewen Bremner , Sam Shepard , Ron Eldard

• Rating : "A" for intense war violence.

We are very familiar with the word "ASSASSINS" as many historical & legendary figures were killed by them but more often we overlook certain facts & events that lead up to an assassination.

Like everyone knows Nathuram Godse assassinated Gandhi yet not many know the motives behind this assassination ,is Godse a terrorist or religious fanatic or an assassin ???

For me ,Godse was the single most important person who cleansed India of the virus named Gandhi ,If you call Godse a murderer then what do you call Gandhi who single handedly was responsible for the massacre of lakhs of Hindus & Muslims due to the Partition of India.

If you still support Gandhi's views then read this here & Godse's speech here.

PLOT : " The film chronicles the events plotted by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country."



I was initially hesitant to watch the film because of my preconceived notion that this film would be a drama & i was in no mood to watch a drama film that day but all of that notion vanished when i watched the trailer.

I was so crossed with myself once the movie got over.Damn !! How did i miss this film in the theatres ,the pace of the film was so very gripping that we are never made to loose focus at any point in the film.

Directed by Bryan Singer of "X-Men" fame ,the film transports the viewer to 1944 Germany in an authentic way ,the properties ,the gadgets & the planes all gave & enhanced the 1940s feel to the film.

Even though the film was based on actual events its upto the writers to present it in an appealing way & writers Christopher McQuarrie & Nathan Alexander have provided the director with the right kind of script that has the essential dosage of drama ,action & thrills.

The script is the major player here ,i still cant think of a single scene that affected the flow of the film.The actors gelled with the script enabling the viewers to feel the emotional moments that they go through.

Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg has given a stellar performance which serves as the crux of the film ,even his uncanny resemblance to the real Stauffenberg was an added plus.

The rest of the cast includes Kenneth Branagh ,Bill Nighy ,Carice van Houten ,Eddie Izzard ,Terence Stamp ,Tom Wilkinson & Thomas Kretschmann who were all splendid in the roles they enacted.

I have missed out many characters here but full credits to all the cast who have brought out a thrilling movie ,the film still holds its sway on the audience in spite of these many characters .

All the credits go to the director & writers for achieving this distinction ,all in all the movie serves as a testimony to the valiant efforts of the German army officers who risked the lives of themselves & their family.

Assassinations most times change the course of human history but whether the change is for the good or bad depends upon the time of the assassination ,sometimes these assassinations happen a tad late that change the face of a world or country.

But the moral side of the assassinations are never heard or covered up by the respective governments ,as Nathuram Godse said on his final speech on court "My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism levelled against it on all sides. I have no doubt that honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof some day in future."

• Director : Bryan Singer

• Writers : Christopher McQuarrie , Nathan Alexander

• Cast : Tom Cruise , Bill Nighy , Kenneth Branagh , Tom Wilkinson , Carice van Houten , Thomas Kretschmann , Terence Stamp
  

• Rating : "PG" for some scenes of violence.

WEAPONS OF MASS-DESTRUCTION : Does this phrase ring a bell ???

Slaves have existed right from the day when man stopped to hunt & started to think ,thinking which led to the term SLAVE.

We are all aware of the morals of life but still many country's leaders feign for the call to end Slavery ,Slavery was officially abolished in many parts of the world but taking a look around we are also just feigning.

Sometimes the tide of the world changes in which SLAVES BECOME FREE PEOPLE.

PLOT : " The true story of how slaves of 19the century AMERICA led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw turned around the tide of the American Civil War & in the process earned their rightful freedom. "



This real life incident demonstrates how African-American people who were sidelined in the NEW WORLD of AMERICA stood up to claim their freedom during the AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

I just happened to come across Director Edward Zwick's name after watching the film Defiance ,he is a director who comes off good with his films that mostly are related to WAR genre.

The director begins by depicting the backdrop of AMERICAN CIVIL WAR continuing with the plight of AFRICAN-AMERICAN people in 19^th century AMERICA with an urge to fight & earn their rightful freedom.

Casting was of top notch in the film with Denzel Washington ,Morgan Freeman & Matthew Broderick using up their meaty roles to perfection.Whatever the scene requires the actors have emoted themselves in a lively & at the same time in a subtle manner.

Matthew Broderick as Robert Gould Shaw excels in his portrayal of the commanding officer who stands by his men at all times & leading them from the front.His frequent misunderstandings with his men & that of his fellow senior officers are very clearly shot.

James Roy Horner has orchestrated a wonderful score for the film that takes the movie viewing level to a whole new experience ,the subtle emotions between the characters are also well captured.

Screenplay by Kevin Jarre is the backbone of the film ,whatever the scenes that had appeared had some meaning to it & some scenes were so uplifting & at the sametime inspiring.

Dialogues too had a major role here ,the near clear messages in each dialogue that were needed to inspire ,some nostalgic feelings & a sense of hope that they would also be free one day were etched out aptly.

The penultimate scenes were some the best scenes i had ever seen in a war film ,if you hadn't seen the movie then you would have definitely missed out one of cinema's most uplifting moments.

In everyday life there are certain sets of people who are grouped in a category to be used up accordingly ,but there comes a time when these people stand up together to confront situations which people who call themselves SUPERIOR RACE cannot confront.

GLORY is one such film of that genre which portrays the turning point of the AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ,If had to pick out one of Director Edward Zwick's best works then this film would be my pick.

• Director : Edward Zwick

• Writer : Kevin Jarre

• Cast : Matthew Broderick , Denzel Washington , Cary Elwes , Morgan Freeman

• Rating : "PG" for intense battle scenes.

India was free in 1947 from the British Empire but the country lost many men and women who were filled with undaunted courage and spirit of patriotism.Today ,they are known as freedom fighters because they sacrificed their lives for their motherland.

Indian freedom fighters with their true spirit and undaunted courage had faced various tortures ,exploitations and hardships to earn us freedom.

There are endless number of men and women ,other than THE POLITICIAN GANDHI ,who daringly fought for India’s freedom.One among these brave souls who is barely mentioned in our history books is "PAZHASSI RAJA".

PLOT : " The Film is about Pazhazzi Raja’s fight against British East India Company to withdraw Company’s power and army from the state of Kottayam. "

Expectations were obviously sky high for this film.And the BIG question is whether it has lived up?...And the BIG answer is 'YES'. The movie grabs your attentions from the word go and keeps your attention all through ,though in a story that many know very well.

Director Hariharan is really the backbone by making the most out of a splendid script.The movie really did make me think about these warriors who fought for our country.Applause to the director who is one of the key brains behind this is film which is worth spending every paisa.

Mammootty has given a restrained performance as PAZHASSI RAJA ,his screen presence and body language is s enough to carry the heavy character with ease.The director also seems to have decided to keep the central character more manly ,without much heroic build-ups.

Sarath Kumar comes up with fantastic heroic looks and emotes well and gives some great action sequences.Manoj K Jayan ,Suman along with Padmapriya and Kanika ,make the movie a treasure of performance with exhilarating performances.

The film has taken cinematic liberties but on the whole is engaging and entertaining.

The sound design by Resul Pookutty captures the sound of war and rain effectively.I wasn't be bored considering that the movie is around 3.5 hours.M.T Vasudevan Nair's script has enough compelling momentum to keep the viewers focused on the film.

The movie upholds the spirit of freedom and self-esteem.It has a histroy to tell by showcasing the spirit of sacrifice and patriotism which is inspiring with the reverberations felt through out the movie.

EPIC films are now becoming a rarity in India.When are we going to see the TRUE heroes like our freedom fighters depicted on screen ????

Films about POLITICS & POLITICIANS are doing rounds & rounds in the cine industry these days but enough yaar ,why this redundancy ?Why do we keep watching these scumbags who are no good at all !!!!

I hope PAZHASSI RAJA has set the ball rolling for more EPIC films to follow about our FORGOTTEN HEROES who fought a valiant battle realising the inherent death ,but to safeguard their honour and their land.

• Director : T.Hariharan

• Writer : M.T.Vasudevan Nair

• Cast : Mammooty , Sarath Kumar , Manoj.K.Jayan , Suman

• Rating : "PG" for some blood & gore during war scenes.