A film described as ‘a triumph’ and ‘a relentless force’ by critics is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Starring Tom Hardy, Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom, and Jason Isaacs, to name a few, Black Hawk Down was released in 2001 and is now regarded as one of the ‘greatest’ war films ever made.
The highly intense action flick is based on the story of the Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu.
It saw US forces attempt to bring down Somali National Alliance (SNA) Leader Mohammed Farah Aidid by capturing some of his top aides.
However, the mission went awry when two of the US’ Black Hawk aircraft were struck, plunging the American soldiers into a deadly fight with the Somalis.
Also known now as the Black Hawk Down Incident, the battle led to the death of at least 18 Americans and an estimated 200 Somalis, plus many more were wounded.
A plot synopsis for the film reads: ‘The story of 160 elite US soldiers who dropped into Mogadishu in October 1993 to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord but found themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed Somalis.’
It received two Oscars for best editing and best sound and grossed a respectable $173million (£129m), but on a high $92m (£69m) budget.
Meanwhile, critics have long lauded director Ridley Scott for capturing ‘commanding’ visuals and creating a ‘compelling account’ of true events.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Black Hawk Down has a 76% score from critics and 88% from audience reviews, which are not to be sniffed at.
Sharing their thoughts, Keith Garlington of Keith & the Movies writes: ‘Black Hawk Down is an intense, visceral experience. It’s gritty action one minute and deeply moving the next. But it never loses sight of its main focus – the soldiers.’
‘Black Hawk Down makes that point without preachment, in precise and pitiless imagery. And for that reason alone it takes its place on the very short list of the unforgettable movies about war and its ineradicable and immeasurable costs’, added Time Magazine’s Richard Schickel.
Jimmy O of Film Snobs declared Black Hawk Down the ‘gold standard for war films’, while Alex Sandell of Juicy Cerebellum called it ‘beautiful in its ugliness, and sad in its beauty.’
‘It’s hard to walk out of this movie without feeling shaken’, admitted Cynthia Fuchs of the Philadelphia City Paper, as Jeffrey Chen of Window to the Movies praised the ‘realistic battle sequences’ for ‘magnifying the difficulty of the choice between valuing life and valuing war efficiency.’
But while Black Hawk Down certainly hasn’t been short on glowing reviews over the years, it’s also received backlash.
Many have accused it of historical inaccuracies and wrongly influencing the way people remember the Battle of Mogadishu with its creative liberties.
Some of the inaccuracies raised include not correctly portraying why American troops were in Somalia and failing to show that the real-life battle lasted between 18 and 24 hours.
Team Red, White & Blue also wrote in their list of 10 inaccuracies that ‘the film leads viewers to believe the purpose of the operation was to destabilise the Somali government and bring humanitarian aid to the people. And that’s not an accurate representation of the history.’
They further claim the film ‘only represents a small fraction of the servicemen involved’ when, in reality, ‘450 men were deployed to Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger to execute Operation Gothic Serpent.’
So it’s safe to say that while those who love Black Hawk Down can’t speak highly enough of it, there are people who just can’t get on board.
Regardless, it remains a conversation still over 30 years later, having also helped propel now well-established, award-winning actor Hardy to prominence, given how this was his very first role.
Stream Black Hawk Down now on Amazon Prime Video.
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