<i>Black Hawk Down</i> (film) - w3we (2024)

Black Hawk Down is the 2001 war film directed and exposed by Ridley Scott, in addition to co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, from the screenplay by Ken Nolan. it is for based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name by journalist Mark Bowden, approximately the U.S. military's 1993 raid in Mogadishu. The film atttributes a large ensemble cast, including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Piven & Tom Hardy in his first film role. Orlando Bloom, Ty Burrell, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau also cause minor roles.

Black Hawk Down had a limited release on December 28, 2001, and went into the public on January 18, 2002. The film received positive reviews from film critics, although it was criticized for inaccuracies, and sparked controversy for its portrayal of Somalis. The film performed modestly alive at the box office, grossing $172 million worldwide against a production budget of $92 to $110 million. Black Hawk Down won two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound at the 74th Academy Awards. In 2006, an extended grouping of the film was released on DVD. The order contains an extra eight minutes of footage, increasing the running time to 152 minutes. This extended cut was released on Blu-ray and in 4K on May 7, 2019.

Plot

Following the ousting of the central government in 1993 amid the civil war in Somalia, the United Nations Security Council authorizes a military operation with a peacekeeping mandate. After the bulk of the peacekeepers withdraw, the Mogadishu-based militia loyal to Mohamed Farrah Aidid declares war on the remaining UN personnel. 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 Aidid, who has proclaimed himself president.

To consolidate his energy and subdue the population in the south, Aidid and his militia seize Red Cross food shipments. The UN forces are powerless to intervene directly. outside Mogadishu, Rangers and Delta Force capture Osman Ali Atto, a faction leader selling arms to Aidid's militia. The US then plans a mission to capture Omar Salad Elmi and Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdiid, two of Aidid's top advisers.

The U.S. forces include professional men as alive as new recruits, including 18-year-old Private first Class Todd Blackburn and Specialist John Grimes, a desk clerk. Staff Sergeant Matthew Eversmann receives his first command, of Ranger Chalk Four, after his lieutenant suffers a seizure. Eversmann responds to mocking remarks about Somalis from fellow soldiers by saying he respects the Somalis and has compassion for the awful conditions of civil war for the Somali people, saying there are two matters they can do, "We can help, or we can sit back and watch a country destroy itself on CNN."

The operation begins, and Delta Force operators capture Aidid's advisers inside the remanded building, while the Rangers and helicopters escorting the ground-extraction convoy cause heavy fire. Blackburn is severely injured when he falls from one of the Staff Sergeant Jeff Struecker are detached from the convoy to usefulness Blackburn to the UN-held Mogadishu Airport. During the ensuing battle, Grimes was separated from the rest of Eversmann's chalk after surviving a RPG explosion.

Sergeant Dominick Pilla is shot and killed just as Struecker's column departs, and shortly thereafter Black Hawk Super Six-One, piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Clifton "Elvis" Wolcott, is shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. Wolcott and his co-pilot are killed, the two crew chiefs are wounded, and one Delta Force sniper on board, Busch, escapes in an MH-6 Little Bird helicopter but dies later from his wounds.

The ground forces are rerouted to converge on the crash site. The Somali militia erects roadblocks, and Michael Durant, is also shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashes several blocks away.

With Sergeant First a collection of matters sharing a common qualifications Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, are inserted by helicopter to Super Six-Four's crash site, where they find Durant still alive. The site is eventually overrun, Gordon and Shughart are killed, and Durant is captured by Aidid's militia.

McKnight's column relinquishes their attempt toSix-One's crash site, and returns to base with their prisoners and the casualties. The men ready to go back to extract the Rangers and the fallen pilots, and Major General Garrison sends Lieutenant Colonel Joe Cribbs to ask for reinforcements from the 10th Mountain Division, including Malaysian and Pakistani armored units from the UN coalition.

As night falls, Aidid's militia launches a sustained assault on the trapped Americans at Super Six-One's crash site. The militants are held off throughout the night by strafing runs and rocket attacks from AH-6J Little Bird helicopter gunships until the 10th Mountain Division's relief column is professionals tothe American soldiers. The wounded and casualties are evacuated in the vehicles, but a few Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are forced to run on foot from the crash site tothe Safe Zone at the stadium.

The end titles recount the instant aftermath of the mission and end of US military operations in Somalia: Michael Durant was released after 11 days of captivity, after which President Bill Clinton withdrew all US forces from Somalia. During the raid, 19 American soldiers and more than 1,000 Somalis died. The designation of the 19 soldiers who died, including Delta Sgts. Gordon and Shughart, the first soldiers to get the Medal of Honor posthumously since the Vietnam War, are included by name. Mohamed Farah Aidid was killed in 1996; General Garrison retired the following day.

<i>Black Hawk Down</i> (film) - w3we (2024)

FAQs

What does the phrase Black Hawk Down refer to? ›

'Day of the Rangers'), also known as the Black Hawk Down Incident, was part of Operation Gothic Serpent. It was fought on 3–4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States—supported by UNOSOM II—against the forces of the Somali National Alliance (SNA) and armed irregulars of south Mogadishu.

How many US soldiers died in Black Hawk Down? ›

By the end of the relentless 15-hour battle, 18 U.S. service members were dead and another 73 wounded. American intervention in Somalia began in 1991 when a severe famine and a collapsed central government hurled the beleaguered nation into civil war. Faced with a humanitarian disaster, President George H.W.

What country was Black Hawk Down filmed in? ›

Filming began in March 2001 in Salé, Morocco, and concluded in late June. Although the filmmakers considered filming in Jordan, they found the city of Amman too built up and landlocked. Scott and production designer Arthur Max subsequently turned to Morocco, where they had previously worked on Gladiator.

Who was dragged through Mogadishu? ›

Ten months later, there was pitched street fighting in Mogadishu, 18 dead American soldiers, more than a thousand Somali casualties and the horror, replayed over and over on TV, of American bodies being dragged through the streets by angry mobs.

What is the true story behind Black Hawk Down? ›

The story of Black Hawk Down began when Delta Force arrested 20 Somalis. During the assault, a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down and the rescuers were ambushed. Eighteen Americans were killed.

What is the message of Black Hawk Down? ›

One of the key themes of the book is the way in which the battle exposed the limitations and challenges of modern military technology and tactics, as well as the dangers of underestimating the resilience and determination of an enemy.

Was the movie Black Hawk Down historically accurate? ›

Although a good war movie that remains superficially faithful to Bowden's descriptions of the basic actions of 3-4 October 1993, Black Hawk Down is a failure in terms of explaining some of the fundamental assumptions and conditions that underlay Task Force RANGER's operations.

Is Somalia safe to visit? ›

Do not travel to Somalia due to the dangerous security situation and the threat of armed conflict, terrorism, kidnapping and violent crime.

Is Somalia still at war? ›

The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia.

Why did the U.S. fail in Somalia? ›

The lack of a national Somali leadership, as well as the daily mayhem in the streets of the capital city of Mogadishu, bedeviled the security operation. Unsatisfied with the mission's results, the new U.S. president, Bill Clinton, ordered the number of U.S. troops to be reduced.

Did they recover the bodies from Black Hawk Down? ›

Assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the MH-60 Blackhawk was carrying five special operations aviation Soldiers when it crashed. All Soldiers on board were killed. The remains of two Soldiers were recovered during initial search and recovery efforts.

What went wrong in Black Hawk Down? ›

Massed rocket-propelled-grenade fire brought down four Black Hawk helicopters, only two of which managed to limp safely to the task force's base. The other two crashed in the city, requiring immediate rescue, splashing the firefight across the city. The battle raged for 18 hours until a large, armored U.N.

What does the Navy call a Black Hawk? ›

The SH-60 Sea Hawk is the U.S. Navy version of the UH-60 Black Hawk and is the primarily medium utility helicopter in the Navy's fleet. The Seahawk is a twin-engine helicopter. It is used for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, drug interdiction, anti-ship warfare, cargo lift, and special operations.

What does Black Hawk stand for? ›

As a figure in United States history, Black Hawk signifies one of the last living Native Americans who saw the change in native land as the U.S. expanded. Black Hawk was taken on a tour throughout the eastern part of the U.S. and shown the progress and might of the Europeans.

Is Black Hawk Down about Navy SEALs? ›

On October 3, 1993, a Navy SEALs helicopter was shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia, as part of a raid aimed at capturing Somali faction leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Learn how this event, which inspired the book and movie Black Hawk Down, changed U.S. foreign policy forever.

Why is the Battle of Mogadishu often referred to as Black Hawk Down in the US? ›

The book and movie get their title from the radio call that went out after the first of two Black Hawk helicopters had been downed. Because the movie was so popular, the Battle of Mogadishu is often referred to as “the Black Hawk Down incident.”

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