Many of the army rangers in the film were actual rangers, serving with the 3rd battalion, 75th ranger regiment. Black hawk down is a 2001 war film produced and directed by ridley scott, from a screenplay. Black hawk down is a competent, confident and chaotic war film. The true story that inspired the movie black hawk down. Black hawk down won two academy awards for best film editing and best sound mixing a. Black hawk down ist ein usamerikanischer kriegsfilm aus dem jahr 2001. The story of black hawk down began when delta force arrested 20 somalis. The successful movie black hawk down is r rated with lots of violence and gore. As a result, the pentagon apparently pressured screenwriters to alter his name in the film, although a spokeswoman for the movie defended the change as a. Last week marked the twentieth anniversary of the infamous black hawk down incident where somali militia fighters loyal to mohammed farah aidid shot down two american helicopters using. Black hawk down tiptoes carefully around the facts when it deals with us.
Helicopter super six ones pilot and copilot were killed instantly. When ridley scotts black hawk down came out in 2001 it had all the features that make a great movie. The film features a large ensemble cast, including josh hartnett, ewan mcgregor, eric bana, tom sizemore, william fichtner, sam shepard, and tom hardy in his first film role. While the death of those young men was indeed tragic, what went unreported is the fact that the militia fighters who shot down the black hawk helicopters had been previously attacked and family. The film is a triumphant showcase for scott, shot in. It is based on the 1999 nonfiction book of the same name by journalist mark bowden, about the u. But the real story of what happened is obscured in the film. What a downed black hawk in somalia taught america. Using black hawk helicopters to lower the soldiers onto the ground, an unexpected attack by somalian forces brings two of the helicopters down immediately. What a downed black hawk in somalia taught america its been 20 years since the battle of mogadishu, a mission gone wrong that cost 18 american. The somali battle that changed us policy in africa jump to media player in 1993, elite us forces launched a disastrous raid in the somali capital mogadishu. Unlike many war movies, black hawk down is not a story of heroism and glory.
Its about a battle almost ten years ago that took the lives of 19 american soldiers on a mission to capture somali warlord mohamed farah aidid. Chief warrant officer mike durant was piloting a second black hawk when his chopper too took a hit from a grenade launcher. Released nearly 18 years ago, the movie black hawk down is coming out again, remastered for 4k. On 25 september, 1993 a serious incident occurred in mogadishu when a black hawk helicopter was shot down by aidids militia killing three crew members. Both pilots were killed in the resulting crash and two of the crew chiefs were severely wounded. Last week marked the twentieth anniversary of the infamous black hawk down incident where somali militia fighters loyal to mohammed farah aidid shot down two american helicopters using rocket. Depicting the 1993 raid to capture mohamed farah aidid and subsequent battle of mogadishu, black hawk down provided a prosoldier narrative, a look into what happens when a mission goes wrong, and. Black hawk down doesnt hide the fact that the battle was the result of a perennial us military blindspot. No wonder the film s promoters chose not to play up the post911. Facts omitted from black hawk down accuracy in media.
The battle of mogadishu and the true story of black hawk down. The 2001 blockbuster war film black hawk down depicted a battle. The film opens with a slew of explanatory title cards, revealing it. It is the story of how a meticulously planned campaign went disastrously wrong. The legacy of black hawk down history smithsonian magazine. Delta force played a key role in the fateful battle of mogadishu in which some poor planning and bad luck led to tragic consequences. Mark bowden said the pentagon, ever sensitive about public image decided to alter factual history by requesting the change.
It tells the true story of a raid in mogadishu that lead to the first battle between the somalian militia and american rangers. A story of modern war on october 3, 1993, about a hundred elite u. During the assault, a black hawk helicopter was shot down and the rescuers were. There is a lesson here that this film could have conveyed as the u.
814 1160 475 1080 1248 433 1 1102 1608 1488 475 163 1552 1229 683 29 698 376 760 1390 587 809 539 217 869 856 281 636 1106 1376 615 1164 196 986 492 816 727 885 733 884 122 179