A joint US military operation in East Africa involving Army Rangers and Delta Force operatives is tasked with capturing two top lieutenants of a rogue Somali warlord in Mogadishu.
What was supposed to take less than an hour turns into a desperate, 15-hour urban survival battle when two American MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are shot down by rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), leaving the soldiers surrounded by heavily armed militia forces.
The film features an ensemble cast of young actors, many of whom went on to become major Hollywood stars, including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, William Fichtner, Orlando Bloom, Sam Shepard, and Tom Hardy (in his feature-film debut).
The actors underwent rigorous orientation at real military bases, including Ranger and Delta Force training camps, to ensure their tactical movements and weapon handling were completely accurate.
Despite some cornball sermonising, the film astutely renders a tragically bungled real-life US helicopter mission in 1993.
In a series of stinging battle scenes – filmed using a stark, desaturated colour palette and hand-held cameras – director Ridley Scott manages to honour the fallen while sticking it to US foreign policy.
Black Hawk Down was filmed in Morocco, particularly in the administrative region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra.
Avenue Nasser in the city of Salé doubled as Mogadishu’s Hawlwadig Road and Sidi Moussa was transformed into Somalia’s capital. The first Black Hawk crash scene was recorded in Salé’s Hay Arrahma.
The film grossed over $172 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $92 million. It received four nominations at the 74th Academy Awards and won two Oscars: Best Film Editing and Best Sound.
Staff Sergeant Matt Eversmann
Josh Hartnett Specialist John “Grimesey” Grimes
Ewan McGregor LTC Danny McKnight
Tom Sizemore Sergeant First Class Norm “Hoot” Gibson
Eric Bana Sergeant First Class Jeff Sanderson
William Fichtner Nelson
Ewen Bremner Specialist Lance Twombly
Tom Hardy Major General William F. Garrison
Sam Shepard Private First Class Todd Blackburn
Orlando Bloom Kurth
Gabriel Casseus Wex
Kim Coates Schmid
Hugh Dancy CWO3 Michael Durant
Ron Eldard Beales
Ioan Gruffudd Yurek
Tom Guiry Smith
Charlie Hofheimer Pilla
Danny Hoch Steele
Jason Isaacs Harrell
Zeljko Ivanek Matthews
Glenn Morshower Wolcott
Jeremy Piven Kowalewski
Brendan Sexton III SFC Randall “Randy” Shughart
Johnny Strong SSG Daniel Busch
Richard Tyson Struecker
Brian Van Holt Gary Gordon
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Cribbs
Steven Ford Waddell
Ian Virgo Galentine
Gregory Sporleder Goodale
Carmine Giovinazzo Joyce
Chris Beetem Thomas
Tac Fitzgerald Sizemore
Matthew Marsden Othic
Kent Linville Ruiz
Enrique Murciano Maddox
Michael Roof Atto
George Harris Mo’Alim
Razaaq Adoti Firimbi
Treva Etienne Briley
Pavel Vokoun Fales
Dan Woods Wilkinson
Ty Burrell Goffena
Boyd Kestner Jollata
Jason Hildebrandt
Director
Ridley Scott
Video
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The film features an ensemble cast of young actors, many of whom went on to become major Hollywood stars, including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, William Fichtner, Orlando Bloom, Sam Shepard, and Tom Hardy (in his feature-film debut).
In a series of stinging battle scenes – filmed using a stark, desaturated colour palette and hand-held cameras – director Ridley Scott manages to honour the fallen while sticking it to US foreign policy.
