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BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001)
PLOT: Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but "Black Hawk Down" makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. (Written by Jeff Shannon)
ORLANDO'S CHARACTER: Orlando plays Ranger Pvt. First Class Todd Blackburn. He is present fairly early on in the film, supplying personal information to military personnel. He's the youngest of the rangers, and eager to fight for his country, Blackburn is placed in the seige of Mogadishu. Unfortunately, he marks the mission's beginning of the end, as he is the first man down. He falls from a helicopter and is terribly injured - a broken back. The ranger code of conduct is to not leave a man fallen or down, so his fellow comrades do all they can to help him.
PARTIAL CAST:
Josh Hartnett ... Matt Eversmann
Ewan McGregor ... Danny Grimes
Jason Isaacs ... Mike Steele
Tom Sizemore ... Danny McKnight
William Fichtner ... Paul Howe
Eric Bana ... Norm Hooten
Sam Shepard ... William Garrison
Ewen Bremner ... Shawn Nelson
Tom Hardy ... Lance Twombly
Ron Eldard ... Mike Durant
Charlie Hofheimer ... Jamie Smith
Hugh Dancy ... Kurt Schmid
Tom Guiry ... Ed Yurek
Brian Van Holt ... Jeff Struecker
Steven Ford ... Joe Cribbs
Gregory Sporleder ... Scott Galentine
Zeljko Ivanek ... Gary Harrell
Matthew Marsden ... Dale Sizemore
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ... Gary Gordon
Orlando Bloom .... Todd Blackburn
View full cast listing here
Rated R for intense, realistic, graphic war violence, and for language.
L A T E S T H E A D L I N E S
Armed Forces Week full of events
posted June 29, 2003
Michael Durant, whose 1993 experience as a captured helicopter pilot in Somalia was documented on public television and in the film "Black Hawk Down," will sign copies of his new book, "In the Company of Heroes," from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, July 19, at the veteran's museum, 2066 A Airport Road.
Review of "Black Hawk Down" Deluxe Edition DVD
posted June 12, 2003
Disc one contains the film with three audio commentaries: one by Scott and fellow producer Jerry Bruckheimer; the second by book author Mark Bowden and screenwriter Ken Nolan; and the third by task force Ranger veterans of the action Master Sgt. Matt Eversmann, who led team Chalk 4 and is portrayed in the film by Josh Hartnett; retired Col. Lee Van Arsdale, who handled a crash site; retired Col. Tom Matthews, who was the air mission commander; and retired Col. Danny McKnight, commander of the 3rd Ranger Battalion who headed the ground convoy and is portrayed in the film by Tom Sizemore ... Disc two contains a 151-minute, making-of documentary - actually longer than the film by seven minutes. It is excellent and extensive, as you might expect. There are interviews with author Bowden and the actors talking about their characters ... Disc three also has a mission timeline; the storming of the target building from six different camera angles; and three question-and-answer forums at various film forums.
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Director
Ridley Scott
Writers
Ken Nolan
Mark Bowden (novel)
Producers
Jerry Bruckheimer
Harry Humphries
Branko Lustig
Terry Needham
Chad Oman
Pat Sandston
Ridley Scott
Mike Stenson
Simon West
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