Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down is a 2001 American epic war film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Ken Nolan, based on the 1999 book of the same name by Mark Bowden. It is a dramatisation of the Battle of Mogadishu, which occurred on October 3–4, 1993, during the Somali Civil War. The film stars Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, Jason Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Ioan Gruffudd, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard, Danny Glover, and Tom Berenger.

On October 3, 1993, a combined team of 18 American Delta Force operators and Army Rangers were tasked with a mission to capture two key lieutenants of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in Mogadishu, Somalia. The mission goes wrong when two of the Black Hawk helicopters used in the operation are shot down, trapping American soldiers behind enemy lines. A nighttime rescue operation is launched, but it is hampered by fierce Somali resistance.

Throughout the night, the American soldiers fight their way through the city, suffering heavy casualties. By the time they are rescued the next morning, 18 American soldiers have been killed and 73 wounded. More than 500 Somalis were also killed in the battle.