Black Hawk Down (2002) - Synopsis

Black Hawk Down - synopsis heading graphic













From acclaimed director Ridley Scott and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer, based on actual events, Black Hawk Down is the heroic account of a group of elite U. S. soldiers sent into Mogadishu, Somalia in October 1993 as part of a U. N. peacekeeping operation. Their mission: to abduct two top lieutenants of the Somali warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, as part of a strategy to quell the civil war and famine that is ravaging the country.

The U. S. troops come to Somalia with good intentions, hoping to save lives and not take them. Increasingly mired in the incomprehensible, feudal politics of Somalia- in which one clan has been pitted against another for a millennium-the soldiers are destined for a brutal education when the carefully planned mission takes unexpected turns. .. resulting in the U. S. military's single biggest firefight since Vietnam.

When the mission commences, it appears every man, woman and child in Mogadishu takes up arms against the Americans, turning the city into a deadly combat zone. And when two seemingly invincible Black Hawk helicopters are shot down over the city, the mission completely changes into a desperate race against time to rescue the surviving flight crews, and finally, the soldiers on the ground. Young Rangers and veteran Delta Force soldiers must fight side by side against overwhelming odds. For 18 harrowing hours, they remain trapped and wounded in the most hostile district of Mogadishu until a rescue convoy can be mounted to retrieve them. Outnumbered and surrounded, tensions flare, friends are lost, alliances are formed and soldiers learn the true nature of war and heroism.

What happened on October 3, 1993 might ultimately have been a footnote to history-but for the Americans who survived, that late afternoon's journey into night was to be the single defining moment of their lives.

For the U. S. soldiers who didn't, it was to be their epitaph, burned into the dusty streets of a helltorn African city most of them had never even heard of-an epitaph of bravery, commitment and selflessness.

These are the extraordinary men who fought the Battle of Mogadishu, and Black Hawk Down-a story of combat at once epic and intimate-closely follows them step-by-step throughout the conflict on the ground, in the air, and at the command center. Much of the story is experienced through the eyes of Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann (JOSH HARTNETT), an idealistic young Ranger whose mettle is sorely tested when he is unexpectedly handed command of one of the four "chalks" assigned to secure the target building. However, we also experience the event with a myriad of other characters, including:

Ranger Spec. Grimes (EWAN McGREGOR), the desk jockey and crack coffee brewer whose long-held desire for "adventure" will finally be answered in the streets of Mogadishu, far away from the safety of his typewriter and desk at HQ…

Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (TOM SIZEMORE), the cool-under-fire leader of the "Lost Convoy" of Humvees, which undergoes relentless fire from Somali militia while trying to find the downed Black Hawk…

Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson (ERIC BANA), a Delta soldier who's a legend even to his comrades in the elite Special Forces…

Jeff Sanderson (WILLIAM FICHTNER), a Delta sergeant whose brilliant professionalism is put to the test during the battle…

Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison (SAM SHEPARD), the two-star commander of Task Force Ranger, who watches helplessly from the distant Joint Operations Center as two Black Hawks go down in flames, and the mission takes on painful new dimensions…

Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant (RON ELDARD), pilot of Black Hawk Super Six Four, the second of the choppers shot down over the city. .. Capt. Mike Steele (JASON ISAACS), the appropriately-named, by-the-book Rangers' commander on the ground… Chief Warrant Officer Cliff Wolcott (JEREMY PIVEN), the popular Black Hawk pilot known to his friends as "Elvis," the first to go down in the battle. .. Ranger Staff Sgt. Jeff Struecker (BRIAN VAN HOLT), who survives the initial hell of battle, only to return in an attempt to help his comrades…

Ranger Pvt. First Class Todd Blackburn (ORLANDO BLOOM), whose 60-foot fall to the ground from Black Hawk Super Six One sets off a devastating chain of events… Sgt. First Class Randy Shughart (JOHNNY STRONG) and Master Sgt. Gary Gordon (NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU), Delta snipers whose voluntary defense of the survivors of the second crashed Black Hawk-against what they knew were staggering odds-would bring both men the Congressional Medal of Honor…

Specs. Shawn Nelson (EWEN BREMNER) and Lance Twombly (THOMAS HARDY), who become separated from their chalk at the beginning of the mission and have to fight their way across the decimated city in an effort to rejoin their comrades…

. .. And so many others, portrayed in the film by a large ensemble of newcomers and experienced actors from both sides of the Atlantic that includes GABRIEL CASSEUS, KIM COATES, HUGH DANCY, IOAN GRUFFUDD, THOMAS GUIRY, CHARLIE HOFHEIMER, DANNY HOCH, Zeljko Ivanek, GLENN MORSHOWER, BRENDAN SEXTON, RICHARD TYSON, STEVEN FORD, IAN VIRGO, GREGORY SPORLEDER, CARMINE GIOVINAZZO, CHRIS BEETEM, TAC FITZGERALD, MATTHEW MARSDEN, KENT LINVILLE, ENRIQUE MURCIANO, MICHAEL ROOF, TY BURRELL, BOYD KESTNER and JASON HILDEBRANDT. Playing the key Somali characters are TREVA ETIENNE, ABDIBASHIR MOHAMED HERSI, RAZAAQ ADOTI and GEORGE HARRIS.

Ridley Scott, one of the most honored filmmakers of our time, has enjoyed extraordinary success with two back-to-back international hits, Gladiator (2000) (nominated for 12 Academy Awards® and winner of the Oscar®, Golden Globe and British Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year) and the box office sensation, Hannibal. Scott's other films-some of them among the most influential in the medium's history-have included alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Thelma & Louise (1991) and Black Rain (1989).

Jerry Bruckheimer is one of the most successful producers of all time, whose films have become ingrained in popular culture and have earned over $12. 5 billion in film, television, video and recording receipts. Among his motion pictures are the Memorial Day 2001 box office smash hit Pearl Harbor (2001), Remember the Titans (2000), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Enemy Of The State (1998), Armageddon (1998), Con Air (1997), Rock, The (1996), Crimson Tide (1995), Days of Thunder (1990), Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Flashdance (1983).

For the film, Jerry Bruckheimer and Ridley Scott have assembled a remarkable team of behind-the-camera artists, including director of photography Slavomir Idziak, Proof of Life (2000), Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Dekalog series), production designer ARTHUR MAX (Academy Award® nominee and British Academy Award winner for Gladiator (2000) who also collaborated with Ridley Scott on G.I. Jane (1997)), costume designers Howarth-Sheldon Sammy (assistant costume designer for Gladiator (2000), which won the Oscar® in that category) and DAVID MURPHY, film editor PIETRO SCALIA, (also an Oscar® nominee and British Academy Award winner for Gladiator (2000) who won an Academy Award® for editing Oliver Stone’s jfk (1991)) and composer HANS ZIMMER, who created the heralded scores for both Gladiator (2000) and Hannibal (2001), among many others. VFX Supervisor TIM BURKE and special effects supervisor NEIL CORBOULD both won Academy Awards® for their work on Gladiator (2000). The second unit director is ALEXANDER WITT, who also worked on Gladiator (2000), as well as on Jerry Bruckheimer’s Remember the Titans (2000).

The executive producers of Black Hawk Down are SIMON WEST, longtime Jerry Bruckheimer associates MIKE STENSON and CHAD OMAN and two-time Academy Award® winner BRANKO LUSTIG, who previously produced Schindler's List (1993) and Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) and Hannibal (2001). The screenplay is by KEN NOLAN, based on the book by MARK BOWDEN. Black Hawk Down has been rated R by the MPAA for intense realistic graphic war violence and language.