Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down is relentless. Two and a half hours of urban combat with zero breaks. The Mogadishu battle is depicted with such visceral intensity that I felt physically exhausted leaving the theater.

Combined with Band of Brothers on HBO, 2001 has been an incredible year for war media. Are we in a golden age of war films?

Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor lead a huge ensemble cast and every single person is convincing. The chaos of urban combat has never been shown so effectively.

See it in a theater with surround sound if you can. The audio design is half the experience. The RPGs and helicopter rotors are physically felt.