Black Hawk Down (2001)
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A high-stakes military operation in Mogadishu turns into a desperate battle for survival after two transport helicopters are downed.
The story
In 1992, a famine in southern Somalia leads the United Nations to authorize a military operation. In response, U.S. President Clinton deploys Task Force Ranger—consisting of 3rd Battalion/75th Ranger Regiment, Delta Force operators, and flight crew of the 160th SOAR—to Mogadishu to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The mission faces immediate complications when Aidid's militia attacks a food distribution shipment. The U.S. forces then move to capture Aidid's top advisers. However, the operation takes a turn for the worse when two Black Hawk helicopters are shot down by the militia, forcing the ground forces to navigate a chaotic and dangerous urban environment to rescue the trapped personnel.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1992, a famine in southern Somalia leads the UN to authorize a military operation. U.S. President Clinton deploys Task Force Ranger to Mogadishu to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The mission begins with the capture of Aidid's advisers, but the operation spirals into chaos when two Black Hawk helicopters, Super Six-One and Super Six-Four, are shot down by militia forces. Ground forces are forced to divert to the crash sites, where they face heavy fire and are pinned down by the militia. Delta Force snipers are inserted to secure the sites, but they face heavy casualties. As night falls, the trapped Americans are subjected to a sustained assault, held off only by air support until reinforcements from the 10th Mountain Division arrive. The film concludes with a textual epilogue revealing that pilot Michael Durant was released after 11 days, while Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart received the Medal of Honor posthumously. The final notes mention the death of Aidid and the retirement of General Garrison.
- First release year
- 2001
- Runtime (minutes)
- 144
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ridley Scott
- Writers
- Ken Nolan · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Josh Hartnett · SSG Matt Eversmann; Eric Bana · SFC Norm "Hoot" Gibson (based on SFC John Macejunas, SFC Norm Hooten, and SFC Matthew Rierson); Ewan McGregor · SPC John "Grimesey" Grimes (based on SPC John Stebbins); Tom Sizemore · LTC Danny McKnight; William Fichtner · SFC Jeff Sanderson (based on SFC Paul R. Howe); Sam Shepard · MG William F. Garrison; Jeremy Piven · CW4 Clifton Wolcott, pilot of Super 61; Ron Eldard · CW4 Michael Durant, pilot of Super 64
- Genres
- action; war
- Themes
- war; sacrifice; brotherhood
- Tone and mood
- intense; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- military; historical; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War (1999) by Mark Bowden
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, though it faced criticism regarding its accuracy and portrayal of Somali people. It performed modestly well at the box office, grossing $173 million against a $92 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Film Editing · win; Academy Award · Best Sound · win
- Production trivia
- The film's opening quote 'Only the dead have seen the end of war' is actually by George Santayana.; The actors underwent rigorous military training, including a one-week Ranger course and a two-week commando course.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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