A routine mission to capture two lieutenants of a Somali warlord goes disastrously wrong when two Black Hawk helicopters, being used to transport the mission's troops, are shot down over Mogadishu. What was intended as a 60-minute mission draws out into a 15-hour urban battle as more troops are sent in to rescue any survivors of the crash.
Like Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down aims to depict its skirmishes in a realistic fashion, and that it does. Interestingly, the US military loaned equipment, trained personnel and invested a considerable amount of money into BHD in the hope it would encourage people to join the military. I can honestly say that this was one film that killed off any slight desire I may have ever had to do so.
Surprisingly, the producer/director combination of Jerry Bruckheimer and Ridley Scott has paid off. Black Hawk Down is (for want of a better clich((eacute))) action packed, but at the same time manages to incorporate serious themes and character development into dense action sequences. This comes as a refreshing change from the done-to-death WWII and Vietnam settings that have filled our cinemas for years. If you have the stomach for it, Black Hawk Down is an unrivalled depiction of modern ground warfare.