Black Hawk Down

A closer look at the story

In Somalia in 1993, the men of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid are seizing United Nations food aid, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of people. To put an end to it, American Rangers, together with an elite Delta Force unit, are ordered to capture two of Aidid's top lieutenants from a building in the city centre. The plan is simple: fly in by helicopter, seize the two men and get out without a firefight. But once their Black Hawks are brought down, a mission meant to be brief becomes a bloody fight for survival under heavy fire from the militia. Directed by Ridley Scott and adapted by Ken Nolan from Mark Bowden's book, the 145-minute 2001 film stars Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore and Eric Bana in a harrowing war film.