Film hailed as ‘one of the greatest of all time’ now streaming on Amazon Prime

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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Yet another former Arsenal player could make a surprise transfer back to the Premier League following Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsdale.
Mikel Arteta has been busy this summer spending just shy of £200million on six new players, including Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke.
There could yet be more incomings at the Emirates but this transfer window has also seen several notable ex-Gunners make high-profile moves.
Former club captain Xhaka is set to join newly-promoted Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £17m.
The Swiss midfielder only left north London two years ago and achieved great success in Germany, leading Leverkusen to an invincible league and cup double.
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Meanwhile, Ramsdale has reportedly said yes to joining Newcastle, with the Magpies now working on the terms of a transfer with Southampton.
The England goalkeeper, who only left the Emirates last summer, is available for £20m thanks to a relegation release clause, but could move to St. James’ Park on a loan deal.

Now, a third player Arteta recently got rid of could be heading back to England, as Sky Sports report that Everton are interested in signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The former Three Lions star spent two decades at Arsenal and started the 2020 FA Cup final victory, the last time the club won a major trophy.
Capable of playing at full-back and defensive midfield, he struggled to keep his place in the first-team under Arteta and after multiple loan spells, he was released in 2023 and subsequently joined Lyon.

It is said Maitland-Niles, who has two years left on his contract with the French club, is open to returning to the Premier League.
Everton boss David Moyes is an admirer of the 27-year-old and is desperate for new signings, recently telling The Athletic: ‘I would hope by the time we get to the end of the window, we’d be closer to 10 [new players]. So you can imagine the amount of work we’ve got to do.
‘The club are trying really hard to get the players I want and I’ve found it really difficult because in my last few years [in his previous job at West Ham], I’ve been involved in European competition.
‘It’s a bit easier when you’re a club in Europe. You get a better chance of attracting a lot of players.
‘We’ve been in for a lot of really good players. Unfortunately, a lot them have said no at the moment.’
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