A quickly forgotten chapter in
United States military history is relived in this harrowing war drama from
director Ridley Scott, based on a series of Philadelphia Inquirer articles
and subsequent book by reporter Mark Bowden. On October 3rd, 1993, an elite
team of more than 100 Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers, part of a
larger United Nations peacekeeping force, are dropped into civil war-torn
Mogadishu, Somalia, in an effort to kidnap two of local crime lord Mohamed
Farah Aidid's top lieutenants. Among the team: Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann
(Josh Hartnett), Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (Tom Sizemore), the
resourceful Delta Sgt. First Class Jeff Sanderson (William Fichtner), and
Ranger Spec. Grimes (Ewan McGregor), a desk-bound clerk getting his first
taste of live combat. When two of the mission's Black Hawk helicopters are
shot down by enemy forces, the Americans — committed to recovering every
man, dead or alive — stay in the area too long and are quickly surrounded.
The ensuing firefight is a merciless 15-hour ordeal and the longest ground
battle involving American soldiers since the Vietnam War. In the end, 70
soldiers are injured and 18 are dead, along with hundreds of Somalians.
Black Hawk Down was voted one of the top ten films of the year by the
National Board of Review prior to its limited Oscar-qualifying release. On
the basis of his work in this film, co-star Eric Bana, a relatively unknown
Australian actor playing Delta Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson, won the lead
in director Ang Lee's version of The Hulk (2003). | Josh Hartnett | Ranger Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann |
| Ewan McGregor | Ranger spec. Grimes |
| Tom Sizemore | Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight |
| Eric Bana | Delta Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson |
| William Fichtner | Delta Sgt. First Class Jeff Sanderson |
| Ewen Bremner | Spec. Sgt. Shawn Nelson |
| Sam Shepard | Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison |
| Gabriel Casseus | Ranger Spec. Mike Kurth |
| Kim Coates | Wex |
| Hugh Dancy | Ranger Sgt. First Class Kurt Schmid |
| Ron Eldard | Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant |
| Ioan Gruffudd | Beales |
| Tom Guiry | Yurek |
| Charlie Hofheimer | Smith |
| Danny Hoch | Pilla |
| Zeljko Ivanek | Harrell |
| Glenn Morshower | Matthews |
| Brendan Sexton, Jr. | Kowalewski |
| Johnny Strong | Shughart |
| Richard Tyson | Busch |
| Brian Van Holt | Struecker |
| Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | Gordon |
| Steve Ford | Cribbs |
| Ian Virgo | Waddell |
| Tom Hardy | Twombly |
| Carmine Giovinazzo | Goodale |
| Chris Beetem | Joyce |
| Tac Fitzgerald | Thomas |
| Matthew Marsden | Sizemore |
| Orlando Bloom | Blackburn |
| Kent Linville | Othic |
| Enrique Murciano Jr. | Ruiz |
| Michael Roof | Maddox |
| George Harris | Atto |
| Razaaq Adoti | Mo'alim |
| Treva Etienne | Firimbi |
| Ty Burrell | Wilkinson |
| Boyd Kestner | Goffena |
| Jason Hildabrant | Jollata |
| Jason Isaacs | Steele |
| Jeremy Piven | Walcott |
| Pavel Vokoun | Briley |
| Dana Woods | Fales |
| Lee Geohagen | Somali son with gun |
| Kofi Amankwah | Somali Kid |
| Gregory Sporleder | Galentine |
| Joshua Quarcoo | Somali Kid |
| Abdibashir Mohamed Hersi | Somali Spy |
| Johann Myers | Somali Father |
Genre/Type War, Combat Films, War Drama
Produced by Columbia Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer Films / Revolution Studios
Release Dec 28, 2001 (USA- Limited) / Jan 18, 2002 (USA)
Released by Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment
Running time - 144 min.
Pearl Harbor (2001, Michael Bay)
Saving Private Ryan (1998, Steven Spielberg)
Rules of Engagement (2000, William Friedkin)
The Big Red One (1980, Samuel Fuller)
Eye of the Eagle 3 (1991, Cirio Santiago)
Tears of the Sun (2003, Antoine Fuqua)
Band of Brothers: The Breaking Point (2001, David Frankel)
Behind Enemy Lines (2001, John Moore)