Black Hawk Down (2001)

Black Hawk Down is a 2001 war film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, from a screenplay by Ken Nolan. It is based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name by journalist Mark Bowden, about the U.S. military’s 1993 raid in Mogadishu. The film features a large ensemble cast, including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Jason Isaacs, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Piven and Tom Hardy in his first film role. Orlando Bloom, Ty Burrell, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau also have minor roles. Black Hawk Down had a limited release on December 28, 2001, and went into the public on January 18, 2002.

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 power 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 experienced men as well 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 terrible conditions of civil war for the Somali people, saying there are two things 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 target building, while the Rangers and helicopters escorting the ground-extraction convoy take heavy fire.

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Blackburn is severely injured when he falls from one of the Black Hawk helicopters, so three Humvees led by Staff Sergeant Jeff Struecker are detached from the convoy to return 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 two Delta Force snipers on board, escape in an MH-6 Little Bird helicopter but Busch dies later from his wounds.

Production.

Adapting Black Hawk Down: a Story of Modern War (1999) by Mark Bowden was the idea of director Simon West, who suggested to Jerry Bruckheimer that he should buy the film rights and let West direct. West felt too tired after working on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), so he decided to drop out (West later said that he regretted the decision). Ken Nolan was credited as screenwriter, and others contributed uncredited: Mark Bowden wrote an adaptation of his own book, Stephen Gaghan was hired to do a rewrite, Steven Zaillian and Ezna Sands rewrote the majority of Gaghan and Nolan’s work, actor Sam Shepard (MGen.

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Box office.

Black Hawk Down had a limited release in four theaters on December 28, 2001, in order to be eligible for the 2001 Oscars. It earned $179,823 in its first weekend, averaging $44,956 per theater. Black Hawk Down finished first at the box office during its first three weeks of wide release. When the film was pulled from theatres on April 14, 2002, after its 15th week, it had grossed $108,638,746 domestically and $64,350,906 overseas for a worldwide total of $172,989,651.

Cast:

Josh Hartnett as SSG Matt Eversmann
Ewan McGregor as SPC John “Grimesey” Grimes
Tom Sizemore as LTC Danny McKnight
Ewen Bremner as SPC Shawn Nelson
Gabriel Casseus as SPC Mike Kurth
Hugh Dancy as SFC Kurt “Doc” Schmid
Ioan Gruffudd as LT John Beales
Tom Guiry as SGT Ed Yurek
Charlie Hofheimer as CPL Jamie Smith
Danny Hoch as SGT Dominick Pilla
Jason Isaacs as CPT Mike Steele
Brendan Sexton III as PVT Richard “Alphabet” Kowalewski
Brian Van Holt as SSG Jeff Struecker
Ian Virgo as PFC John Waddell
Tom Hardy as SPC Lance Twombly
Gregory Sporleder as SGT Scott Galentine
Carmine Giovinazzo as SGT Mike Goodale
Chris Beetem as SGT Casey Joyce
Tac Fitzgerald as SPC Brad Thomas
Matthew Marsden as SPC Dale Sizemore
Orlando Bloom as PFC Todd Blackburn