Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Timing: 2:25 (145 min)

7.393/10
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7.802/10
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7.7/10
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All about film

Video 10

Photo 128

Actors and characters

Release date

2001-12-28

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Production

Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Scott Free Productions, Revolution Studios

Genre

Action, History, War

Budget

$92 000 000

Revenue

$172 989 651

Website

Director

Ridley Scott

Actors

Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard, Jason Isaacs, Ewen Bremner, Orlando Bloom, Tom Hardy
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Jerry Bruckheimer, Ridley Scott, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Branko Lustig, Simon West

Operator

Slawomir Idziak

Composer

Hans Zimmer

Artist

Audition

Bonnie Timmermann, Suzanne Smith

Editing

Pietro Scalia, Lucio Trentini, Angela Quiles
All team (275)

• The film is based on Mark Bowden's book "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War" (1999).
• Producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna offered Ridley Scott the direction of "Terminator 3," but he chose to film this movie instead.
• The full version of the film has a runtime of 152 minutes.
• The character of John Grimes, played by Ewan McGregor, was based on Staff Sergeant John Stebbins. Unlike the other characters whose names were retained, Stebbins was renamed Grimes because in 2000 he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for multiple rapes of his own daughter.
• Some of the helicopters in the film and most of the pilots operating them were participants in the actual battle of October 3-4, 1993.
• The original slogan of the film "Leave no man behind" translates to "Do not leave anyone behind".
• "Black Hawk" is the name of the American military transport helicopter UH-60. During the Battle of Mogadishu, two such helicopters were shot down.
• The end credits state that Mohamed Farah Aidid was killed on August 2, 1996, although he actually died on the operating table on August 1, 1996, from wounds sustained a week earlier.
• The photograph of a wife and child that one of the dying soldiers looks at is actually a photograph of the wife and child of Eric Bana, one of the main actors. The props department forgot to bring the card to the set, so the film company asked the actor's wife to use her photograph.
• At the end of the film, some soldiers have to run after the convoy because there was no more room. In the real operation, there were also soldiers who ran after the convoy, but they were covering the perimeter and did not immediately notice that the convoy had started to leave, so they had to run. This march was later called "The Mogadishu Mile" or "The Last Mile".
• The film featured real participants in the battle – for example, Kit Jones did in the film what he did in the actual battle: evacuated the crew members of Super 61.
• The end credits list the names of 19 American soldiers who died, which is an error, as Delta Sergeant Matt Rierson did not die in battle, but was killed by mortar fire on October 6th.
• When the first 3 vehicles from Lieutenant Colonel McKnight's convoy head to base, they come under fire. When Sergeant Hut operates the machine gun in the first of the 3 vehicles, one shot shows the buildings (the city) literally ending in front of the vehicles, while subsequent shots still show them driving along the street with tall buildings also present.
• When an injured soldier crawls out of the crashed helicopter, special goggles are visible on his helmet, which then disappear and reappear with each frame change.
• After the first helicopter crashes, a small helicopter is sent to the crash site. When it departs for the crash site, machine guns are visible on it, but when they show it arriving at the crash site, the machine guns are gone.
• When the pilot of the second downed helicopter fires back from the cover where he was put by the "Delta" fighters, he only has an SMG automatic rifle. In subsequent shots, another rifle suddenly appears at his feet, and later that rifle disappears and is only brought to him.
• The original slogan of the film, “Leave no man behind,” translates to “Don't leave anyone behind.”
• At the end of the film, some soldiers have to run after the convoy because there was no more room. In the real operation, there were also soldiers who ran after the convoy, but they were covering the perimeter and didn't immediately notice the convoy had started to leave, so they had to run. This march was later called the “Magadish Mile” or “the last mile.”
• When the pilot of the second downed helicopter fires back from the shelter where the Delta Force soldiers put him, he only has an SMG. In the following shots, another rifle inexplicably appears at his feet, and later it disappears, only to be brought to him.