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Black Hawk Down (2001)
Black Hawk Down is a 2001 American epic war film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, from a screenplay by Ken Nolan. It is based on the 1999 eponymous non-fiction book by journalist Mark Bowden, about two Black Hawk helicopters that were shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu. The film features a large ensemble cast, including Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom…
Directed by Ridley Scott · Shot by Sławomir Idziak · Cut by Pietro Scalia · Music by Hans Zimmer · 143 min
How it was made
- Ken Nolan spent four months on set rewriting his own script and the earlier drafts by Stephen Gaghan, Steven Zaillian and book author Mark Bowden; a WGA committee ultimately gave him sole screenwriting credit.
- According to Bowden, the Pentagon requested that a real soldier, SPC John Stebbins, be renamed the fictional "John Grimes" in the film after his 1999 conviction for raping his six-year-old daughter.
- To keep the story manageable, the filmmakers condensed about 100 figures from the book down to 39 characters, and cast no Somali actors or consultants for the production.
- Actors playing the Rangers completed a one-week Ranger familiarization course at Fort Benning, Delta Force actors took a two-week commando course at Fort Bragg, and Ron Eldard and the helicopter-pilot actors were briefed by captured aviator Michael Durant at Fort Campbell.
- The U.S. Army supplied helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and most of the pilots who flew them on screen, including Keith Jones, had taken part in the actual October 1993 battle.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Ridley Scott
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