Title: Black Hawk Down Press Kit
Jesse - June 24, 2008 10:21 PM (GMT)
The following is a small selection of notes from the vast and informative Columbia Pictures/Revolution Studios Black Hawk Down Press Kit.
**A huge amount of time and work has gone into reading and extracting this information which is of interest to the fans of Orlando Bloom. Therefore we please ask that credit be added if posting elsewhere. Thanks. **
BLACK HAWK DOWN – NOTES FROM THE PRESS KIT
”Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy…” --- From the ‘Ranger Creed’
From the acclaimed director Ridley Scott and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer, based on actual events, , Black Hawk Down is the heroic account of a group of elite U.S. soldiers sent into Mogadishu, Somalia in October 1993 as part of the U.N. peacekeeping operation. Their mission: to abduct two top lieutenants of the Somali warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, as part of a strategy to quell the civil war and famine that is ravaging the country.
The U.S, troops come to Somalia with good intentions, hoping to save lives and not take them. Increasingly mired in the incomprehensible, feudal politics of Somalia – in which one clan has been pitted against another for a millennium – the soldiers are destined for a brutal education when the carefully planned mission takes unexpected turns…resulting in the U.S. military’s single biggest firefight since Vietnam.
When the mission commences, it appears every man, woman and child in Mogadishu takes up arms against the Americans, turning the city into a deadly combat zone. And when two seemingly Black Hawk helicopters are shot down over the city, the mission completely changes into a desperate race against time to rescue the surviving fight crews, and finally, the soldiers on the ground. Young rangers and veteran Delta Force soldiers must fight side by side against overwhelming odds. For eighteen harrowing hours, they remain trapped and wounded in the hostile district of Mogadishu until a rescue convoy can be mounted to retrieve them. Outnumbered and surrounded, tensions flare, friends are lost, alliances are formed and soldiers learn the true nature of war and heroism.
These are the extraordinary men who fought in the battle of Mogadishu, and Black Hawk Down - a story of combat at once epic and intimate – closely follows them step-by-step throughout the conflict on the ground, in the air and at the command centre.
Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann (JOSH HARTNETT), an idealistic young Ranger whose mettle is tested when he is unexpectedly handed the command of one of the four ‘chalks’ assigned to secure the target building.
Ranger Spec. Grimes (EWAN McGREGOR), the desk jockey and crack coffee brewer whose long held desire for ‘adventure’ will finally be answered in the streets of Mogadishu, far away from the safety of his typewriter and desk at HQ.
Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (TOM SIZEMORE), the cool-under-fire leader of the ‘Lost Convoy’ of Humvees, which undergoes relentless fire from Somali militia while trying to find the downed Black Hawk…
Sgt. First Class “Hoot” gibson (ERIC BANA), a Delta soldier who’s a legend even to his comrades in the elite Special Forces.
Jeff Sanderson (WILLIAM FICHTNER), a Delta sergeant whose brilliant professionalism is put to the test during the battle.
Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison (SAM SHEPARD), a two-star commander of Task Force Ranger, who watched helplessly from the distant Joint Operations Centre as two Black Hawks go down in flames, and the mission takes on painful new dimensions.
Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant (RON ELDARD), pilot of Black Hawk Super Six Four, the second of the choppers shot down over the city.
Capt. Mike Steele (JASON ISSACS), the appropriately named, by-the-book Rangers’ commander on the ground.
Chief Warrant Officer Cliff Wolcott (JEREMY PIVEN), the popular Black Hawk Pilot known to his friends as ‘Elvis’, the first to go down in the battle.
Ranger Staff Sgt. Jeff Struecker (BRIAN VAN HOLT), who survives the initial hell of battle, only to return in an attempt to help his comrades.
Ranger Pvt. First Class Todd Blackburn (ORLANDO BLOOM), whose 60-foot fall to the ground form Black Hawk Super Six One sets off a devastating chain of events.
Sgt. First Class Randy Shughart (JOHNNY STRONG) AND Master Sgt. Gary Gordon (NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU), Delta snipers whose voluntary defense of the survivors of the second crashed Black Hawk – against what they knew were staggering odds – would bring both men the Congressional Medal Of Honor.
Specs. Shawn Nelson (EWEN BREMNER) and Lance Twombly (THOMAS HARDY), who became separated from their chalk at the beginning of the mission and have to fight their way across the decimated city in an effort to rejoin their comrades.
And so many others, portrayed in the film by a large ensemble of newcomers and experienced actors from both sides of the Atlantic that includes HUGH DANCY and IOAN GRUFFUDD.
MISSION TIMELINE
October 3, 1993
2:49 PM The Principal targets, Habr Gidr clan leaders, are spotted as a building on Hawlwadig Road in downtown Mogadishu.
3:32 PM The force launches with 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles and 160 men.
3:42 PM The assault begins, with four Ranger chalks fast-roping in from four hovering Black Hawk helicopters and Delta Force soldiers delivered on Little Bird choppers. One Ranger, Pvt. Todd Blackburn, misses the rope and falls some 60 feet to the street.
4:00 PM Forces of armed Somali militia converge on the target area from all over Mogadishu.
4:02 PM Assault forces report both clan leaders and about 21 others in custody. As the force prepares to pull out, three vehicles are detached to rush the wounded Private Blackburn back to the base.
4:15 PM Fighting and confusion delays loading the prisoners and pulling out.
4:20 PM Black Hawk Super Six One, piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Cliff Wolcott, known to his friends as ‘Elvis’ , is hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashes five blocks northeast of the target building.
4:22 PM Crowds of Somalis race towards the crash site. The prisoners, the convoy and ground forces begin moving towards the downed chopper. Black Hawk Super Six Four, Piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant, takes the crashed helicopters place in orbit over the fight.
4:28 PM A search-and-rescue team ropes in to assist the downed crew.
4:35 PM The U.S. convoy makes a wrong turn and begins wandering lost through the labyrinthine city streets of Mogadishu, encountering roadblocks at every turn and sustaining heavy casualties.
4:40 PM Mike Durant’s Black Hawk, Super Six Four, is also hit and crashes about a mile southwest of the target building. Hostile crowds begin moving toward the downed chopper.
4:42 PM Two Delta Force snipers, Sgts. Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon, volunteer to be inserted at the second crash site by helicopter to help protect the injured Durant and his crew.
4:54 PM The ‘Lost Convoy’, with more than half of its force wounded of dead, abandons its search for the first downed Black Hawk and begins fighting its way back to the American base on the coast of the Indian Ocean.
5:03 PM A smaller emergency convoy is dispatched in an attempt to rescue the men stranded at Durant’s crash site. It encounters fires, roadblocks and other obstacles.
5:34 PM Both convoys, battered and bleeding, link up and abandon the effort to break through to Durant at the second crash site. The remainder of the ground force of Rangers and Delta commandos converge around the first crash site, sustaining many casualties.
5.40 PM Somali crowds overrun Durant’s crash site, killing Shughart and Gordon and the rest of the crew of Super Six Four, except the wounded Durant, who is taken hostage and carried off by Somali militia.
5.45 PM Both convoys return to base. Ninety-Nine men remain trapped and surrounded in the city around the first downed Black Hawk, fighting for their lives.
10.00 PM A giant convoy, with two companies of the 10th Mountain Division along with the remainder of Task Force Ranger – as well as Pakistani tanks and Malaysian armoured vehicle under the United Nations peacekeeping force – begins to form in order to rescue the trapped soldiers.
11.23 PM The huge rescue convoy moves out, blazing into Mogadishu.
October 4, 1993
1.55 AM The rescue convoy reaches the trapped Ranger force. The night belongs to the US ‘Nightstalkers’ – crack pilots of the 160th SOAR – as they make innumerable strafing runs with heavily armoured Little Bird attack helicopters in order to protect their comrades in the streets below.
3.00 AM Forces struggle to remove the pinned body of Cliff Wolcott, pilot of Super Six One, determined to follow the creed of leaving no man behind, living or dead.
5.30 AM Wolcott’s body is finally recovered and the rescue convoy begins to roll out of the city. But with the vehicles packed with 10th Mountain and UN Forces, the rangers are left to run ‘The Mogadishu Mile’ through considerable gunfire behind the convoy.
6.30 AM The force returns to the safety of a U.N. controlled sports stadium, with 18 dead and 73 injured. The casualties amongst the Somali’s has never been confirmed, but is thought to be approximately 500 dead and many more wounded.
MARK BOWDEN AND HIS BOOK
Mark Bowden, a journalist of repute for The Philadelphia Enquirer, began working on the story some two and a half years after it was fought, when it had already begun to fade from the news, perceived by the media as a military fiasco and early foreign affairs failure of President Bill Clinton’s administration. Bowden became intrigued by the details of the battle itself and its aftermath. Who were these men who fought on that long days journey into the night? What were their feelings? After some initial research, the battle was humanized for Bowden when he was invited by Jim Smith – the father of Cpl. Jamie Smith, a ranger who was tragically killed in the battle – to a dedication ceremony of a building named in the young man’s honor. There he met about 12 rangers who had fought in Mogadishu with Jamie, and all agreed to be interviewed. This was the beginning of a path which led Bowden to years of additional research, a multitude of interviews and an actual, perilous journey into Somalia in the summer of 1997. The book that emerged, entitled ‘ Black Hawk Down – A Story Of Modern War’ was published in 1999 to great acclaim for its detail and evenhandedness.
ORIENTATION – LEARNING THE ROPES
The first and very tangible sign of co-operation from the military was in the Department Of Defence’s invitation to allow the actors of Black Hawk Down to participate in orientation and training at the actual military bases of the branches they were portraying: Fort Benning, Georgia for the Rangers, Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Special Forces (including Delta Force, so secretive that the Army still doesn’t officially acknowledge their existence); and Fort Campbell, Kentucky for the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) pilots.
“We felt that it was really important for the actors to actually become part of the military, even for a short time, if they were going to portray soldiers,” Jerry Bruckheimer asserts. “And so, as we did with Pearl Harbour, we sent them for training…not a Hollywood boot camp, but practical orientation. There’s nothing like reality. You can’t fake it. We wanted the actors to have great respect for the military and understand the physical challenges that they go through. If you talk to any soldier who has been through a battle or a war, they tell you that the only thing that saved their lives was either the man next to them or their training.”
Harry Humphries (GSGI and On-Set Advisor) continues, “In this particular situation because of the intense support we received for the Department of Defense, I had three separate training commands. Twenty one of our actors portraying Rangers went through a modified Ranger indoctrination program, or a RIPIT as they call it, with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning. The regiment put up the best instructors they had in the house, and it was without doubt one of the finest training session I’ve ever seen any group of actors go through. At Fort Bragg, three actors portraying commandos went through another training program with the 7th Special Forces. Our two Black Hawk pilots went to Fort Campbell and worked with the 160th SOAR helicopter training program. This was unparalleled to any D.O.D training program that has ever been put forth – a wonderful co-operative effort.”
At Fort Benning, Ranger instructors felt a strong personal stake in Black Hawk Down. Many of them had fought there, many knew the men who had died there. Ranger Training Detachment commandant First Sgt. James Hardy’s goal was to ensure that the 21 actors had a good understanding of the Ranger mentality and way of life, and how events played out in Mogadishu over those two days.
Ranger instructors taught classes from general military knowledge (how to wear uniform properly, customs and courtesies) to advanced marksmanship skills. The actors learned the Ranger Creed and Ranger history, hand-to-hand combat techniques, how to tie knots and use radios. On the fourth day of training, the actors fired M16-A2 rifles and squad automatic weapons. While at Fort Benning, the actors got their “high-and-tight” Ranger haircuts, wore desert-camouflaged uniforms and nametags with their Ranger characters’ names on them.
EPIC STORY, EPIC FILMING
To be on the set of ‘Black Hawk Down’ in sale during filming was to be witness to a daily spectacle that sometimes defied description. Thousands of actors and extras arrayed in respective uniform or Somali native costume, myriad weaponry, fearsome explosions and fires, hovering helicopters either photographing the action or being photographed from ground and air, all in the midst of a population either fascinated or puzzled by the incredible activities of the cast and crew. Tremendous base camps were set up for both first and second units, with a huge array of campers, trailers, trucks and other production vehicles, and numerous tents for catering , extras holding and costuming. When not being utilized on the set, dozens of military vehicles –humvees, tanks, trucks, and Somali ‘technicals’ (dilapidated pickup trucks with jerry-mounted .50 caliver machine guns), most of them purchased by the production and then either severely damaged and destroyed during filming – were also housed at the base camps, which often had to be packed up and moved depending on which part of the city the production was based on any given day.
While there is no question that the inhabitants of Sidi Moussa and other districts of Sale were occasionally inconvenienced or unnerved by the filming, the production also provided an extraordinary number of jobs or financial compensation for its inhabitants, a welcome relief considering the districts 85% unemployment rate. More often than not the good citizens of Sale – particularly those in Sidi Moussa – displayed remarkable co-operation and friendliness towards its cinematic visitors, often inviting crew members inside their homes for several glasses of ubiquitous Moroccan mint tea and sweets.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual effects supervisor Tim Burke sought to enhance reality by integrating visual effects with on-set photography, so that the two would be seamless. Just one example of this alchemy occurred for a scene in which a Somali rocket-propelled grenade is fired at a hovering Black Hawk, which causes Private Blackburn to miss the rope and fall 60 feet to the ground. “There was a complicated choreography that was needed to tell the story, so we worked very closely with Pietro Scalia, the film editor, and filmed elements of Black Hawks doing specific kinds of flying. We then matted those to the other shots to relocate them in the correct environment. Then we added computer generated rockets being fired at the Black Hawk, so the final shot was to be a combination of the two elements: live action and computer graphics.
QUOTES BY ORLANDO
On his accent…
“I decided to speak with my American voice all day long so that I felt the voice was my own. Americans are also very strong and focused in the way they communicate, whereas the Brits kind of offer something and then stop a bit. There’s also a difference in the body language between the two nationalities. I had to learn to just kind of relax, whereas we’re somewhat more formal in Great Britain.”
On the real men of ‘Black Hawk Down’…
“Theirs is not to reason why, theirs but to do or die,” quotes Orlando Bloom applying the famous lines of fellow Englishman Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘The Charge Of The Light Brigade’ to the men who fought in Somalia. “They went into Mogadishu, did what they were trained to do and put their lives on the line. The fact that their Government soon after pulled out of Somalia was out of the Task Force Rangers hands. These men were the foot soldiers. And anyone who puts themselves in that position succeeds on every level in my book.”
ABOUT THE CAST
(*NOTE: This press kit was compiled before the release of ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’ so there is very little filmography on Orlando.*)
Orlando Bloom: (Ranger Pvt. First Class Todd Blackburn) will be seen as Legolas in all three films of Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy of J.R.R Tolkein’s classic The Lord Of The Rings. He also appeared in the highly regarded film Wilde.
THE RANGER CREED
Recognising that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high ‘esprit de corps’ of the Rangers.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea or air, I accept the face that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One hundred per cent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, my neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.
RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
*All photos © 2001 Revolution Studios/Columbia Pictures*
Josh Hartnett stars as Eversmann in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Grimes is played by Ewan McGregor in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Josh Hartnett plays Ranger Eversmann in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Sam Shephard plays Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Ty Burrell (left) plays Wilkinson and Jeremy Piven (on stretcher)plays Wolcott in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Josh Hartnett (right) plays Eversmann and Orlando Bloom (center) plays Blackburn in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Eversmann is played by Josh Hartnett (right) and Gallentine us played by Gregory Sporleder (left) in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Rangers try to free Wolcott (Jeremy Piven) from the crashed Black Hawk in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Yurek is played by Thomas Guiry in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
American soldiers arrive in Mogadishu in Black Hawk and Little Bird helicopters in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
A fleet of Black Hawks launches for their mission in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Black Hawk and Little Bird helicopters make their way to Mogadishu in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
American troops descend upon Mogadishu in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Ridley Scott directs the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer chats with Ridley Scott during the filming of Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Black Hawk Down premiered on 19 December 2001, The Beckman Theatre, New York.
**A huge amount of time and work has gone into reading and extracting this information which is of interest to the fans of Orlando Bloom. Therefore we please ask that credit be added if posting elsewhere. Thanks. **
BLACK HAWK DOWN – NOTES FROM THE PRESS KIT
”Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy…” --- From the ‘Ranger Creed’
From the acclaimed director Ridley Scott and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer, based on actual events, , Black Hawk Down is the heroic account of a group of elite U.S. soldiers sent into Mogadishu, Somalia in October 1993 as part of the U.N. peacekeeping operation. Their mission: to abduct two top lieutenants of the Somali warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, as part of a strategy to quell the civil war and famine that is ravaging the country.
The U.S, troops come to Somalia with good intentions, hoping to save lives and not take them. Increasingly mired in the incomprehensible, feudal politics of Somalia – in which one clan has been pitted against another for a millennium – the soldiers are destined for a brutal education when the carefully planned mission takes unexpected turns…resulting in the U.S. military’s single biggest firefight since Vietnam.
When the mission commences, it appears every man, woman and child in Mogadishu takes up arms against the Americans, turning the city into a deadly combat zone. And when two seemingly Black Hawk helicopters are shot down over the city, the mission completely changes into a desperate race against time to rescue the surviving fight crews, and finally, the soldiers on the ground. Young rangers and veteran Delta Force soldiers must fight side by side against overwhelming odds. For eighteen harrowing hours, they remain trapped and wounded in the hostile district of Mogadishu until a rescue convoy can be mounted to retrieve them. Outnumbered and surrounded, tensions flare, friends are lost, alliances are formed and soldiers learn the true nature of war and heroism.
These are the extraordinary men who fought in the battle of Mogadishu, and Black Hawk Down - a story of combat at once epic and intimate – closely follows them step-by-step throughout the conflict on the ground, in the air and at the command centre.
Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann (JOSH HARTNETT), an idealistic young Ranger whose mettle is tested when he is unexpectedly handed the command of one of the four ‘chalks’ assigned to secure the target building.
Ranger Spec. Grimes (EWAN McGREGOR), the desk jockey and crack coffee brewer whose long held desire for ‘adventure’ will finally be answered in the streets of Mogadishu, far away from the safety of his typewriter and desk at HQ.
Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (TOM SIZEMORE), the cool-under-fire leader of the ‘Lost Convoy’ of Humvees, which undergoes relentless fire from Somali militia while trying to find the downed Black Hawk…
Sgt. First Class “Hoot” gibson (ERIC BANA), a Delta soldier who’s a legend even to his comrades in the elite Special Forces.
Jeff Sanderson (WILLIAM FICHTNER), a Delta sergeant whose brilliant professionalism is put to the test during the battle.
Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison (SAM SHEPARD), a two-star commander of Task Force Ranger, who watched helplessly from the distant Joint Operations Centre as two Black Hawks go down in flames, and the mission takes on painful new dimensions.
Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant (RON ELDARD), pilot of Black Hawk Super Six Four, the second of the choppers shot down over the city.
Capt. Mike Steele (JASON ISSACS), the appropriately named, by-the-book Rangers’ commander on the ground.
Chief Warrant Officer Cliff Wolcott (JEREMY PIVEN), the popular Black Hawk Pilot known to his friends as ‘Elvis’, the first to go down in the battle.
Ranger Staff Sgt. Jeff Struecker (BRIAN VAN HOLT), who survives the initial hell of battle, only to return in an attempt to help his comrades.
Ranger Pvt. First Class Todd Blackburn (ORLANDO BLOOM), whose 60-foot fall to the ground form Black Hawk Super Six One sets off a devastating chain of events.
Sgt. First Class Randy Shughart (JOHNNY STRONG) AND Master Sgt. Gary Gordon (NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU), Delta snipers whose voluntary defense of the survivors of the second crashed Black Hawk – against what they knew were staggering odds – would bring both men the Congressional Medal Of Honor.
Specs. Shawn Nelson (EWEN BREMNER) and Lance Twombly (THOMAS HARDY), who became separated from their chalk at the beginning of the mission and have to fight their way across the decimated city in an effort to rejoin their comrades.
And so many others, portrayed in the film by a large ensemble of newcomers and experienced actors from both sides of the Atlantic that includes HUGH DANCY and IOAN GRUFFUDD.
MISSION TIMELINE
October 3, 1993
2:49 PM The Principal targets, Habr Gidr clan leaders, are spotted as a building on Hawlwadig Road in downtown Mogadishu.
3:32 PM The force launches with 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles and 160 men.
3:42 PM The assault begins, with four Ranger chalks fast-roping in from four hovering Black Hawk helicopters and Delta Force soldiers delivered on Little Bird choppers. One Ranger, Pvt. Todd Blackburn, misses the rope and falls some 60 feet to the street.
4:00 PM Forces of armed Somali militia converge on the target area from all over Mogadishu.
4:02 PM Assault forces report both clan leaders and about 21 others in custody. As the force prepares to pull out, three vehicles are detached to rush the wounded Private Blackburn back to the base.
4:15 PM Fighting and confusion delays loading the prisoners and pulling out.
4:20 PM Black Hawk Super Six One, piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Cliff Wolcott, known to his friends as ‘Elvis’ , is hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashes five blocks northeast of the target building.
4:22 PM Crowds of Somalis race towards the crash site. The prisoners, the convoy and ground forces begin moving towards the downed chopper. Black Hawk Super Six Four, Piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant, takes the crashed helicopters place in orbit over the fight.
4:28 PM A search-and-rescue team ropes in to assist the downed crew.
4:35 PM The U.S. convoy makes a wrong turn and begins wandering lost through the labyrinthine city streets of Mogadishu, encountering roadblocks at every turn and sustaining heavy casualties.
4:40 PM Mike Durant’s Black Hawk, Super Six Four, is also hit and crashes about a mile southwest of the target building. Hostile crowds begin moving toward the downed chopper.
4:42 PM Two Delta Force snipers, Sgts. Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon, volunteer to be inserted at the second crash site by helicopter to help protect the injured Durant and his crew.
4:54 PM The ‘Lost Convoy’, with more than half of its force wounded of dead, abandons its search for the first downed Black Hawk and begins fighting its way back to the American base on the coast of the Indian Ocean.
5:03 PM A smaller emergency convoy is dispatched in an attempt to rescue the men stranded at Durant’s crash site. It encounters fires, roadblocks and other obstacles.
5:34 PM Both convoys, battered and bleeding, link up and abandon the effort to break through to Durant at the second crash site. The remainder of the ground force of Rangers and Delta commandos converge around the first crash site, sustaining many casualties.
5.40 PM Somali crowds overrun Durant’s crash site, killing Shughart and Gordon and the rest of the crew of Super Six Four, except the wounded Durant, who is taken hostage and carried off by Somali militia.
5.45 PM Both convoys return to base. Ninety-Nine men remain trapped and surrounded in the city around the first downed Black Hawk, fighting for their lives.
10.00 PM A giant convoy, with two companies of the 10th Mountain Division along with the remainder of Task Force Ranger – as well as Pakistani tanks and Malaysian armoured vehicle under the United Nations peacekeeping force – begins to form in order to rescue the trapped soldiers.
11.23 PM The huge rescue convoy moves out, blazing into Mogadishu.
October 4, 1993
1.55 AM The rescue convoy reaches the trapped Ranger force. The night belongs to the US ‘Nightstalkers’ – crack pilots of the 160th SOAR – as they make innumerable strafing runs with heavily armoured Little Bird attack helicopters in order to protect their comrades in the streets below.
3.00 AM Forces struggle to remove the pinned body of Cliff Wolcott, pilot of Super Six One, determined to follow the creed of leaving no man behind, living or dead.
5.30 AM Wolcott’s body is finally recovered and the rescue convoy begins to roll out of the city. But with the vehicles packed with 10th Mountain and UN Forces, the rangers are left to run ‘The Mogadishu Mile’ through considerable gunfire behind the convoy.
6.30 AM The force returns to the safety of a U.N. controlled sports stadium, with 18 dead and 73 injured. The casualties amongst the Somali’s has never been confirmed, but is thought to be approximately 500 dead and many more wounded.
MARK BOWDEN AND HIS BOOK
Mark Bowden, a journalist of repute for The Philadelphia Enquirer, began working on the story some two and a half years after it was fought, when it had already begun to fade from the news, perceived by the media as a military fiasco and early foreign affairs failure of President Bill Clinton’s administration. Bowden became intrigued by the details of the battle itself and its aftermath. Who were these men who fought on that long days journey into the night? What were their feelings? After some initial research, the battle was humanized for Bowden when he was invited by Jim Smith – the father of Cpl. Jamie Smith, a ranger who was tragically killed in the battle – to a dedication ceremony of a building named in the young man’s honor. There he met about 12 rangers who had fought in Mogadishu with Jamie, and all agreed to be interviewed. This was the beginning of a path which led Bowden to years of additional research, a multitude of interviews and an actual, perilous journey into Somalia in the summer of 1997. The book that emerged, entitled ‘ Black Hawk Down – A Story Of Modern War’ was published in 1999 to great acclaim for its detail and evenhandedness.
ORIENTATION – LEARNING THE ROPES
The first and very tangible sign of co-operation from the military was in the Department Of Defence’s invitation to allow the actors of Black Hawk Down to participate in orientation and training at the actual military bases of the branches they were portraying: Fort Benning, Georgia for the Rangers, Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Special Forces (including Delta Force, so secretive that the Army still doesn’t officially acknowledge their existence); and Fort Campbell, Kentucky for the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) pilots.
“We felt that it was really important for the actors to actually become part of the military, even for a short time, if they were going to portray soldiers,” Jerry Bruckheimer asserts. “And so, as we did with Pearl Harbour, we sent them for training…not a Hollywood boot camp, but practical orientation. There’s nothing like reality. You can’t fake it. We wanted the actors to have great respect for the military and understand the physical challenges that they go through. If you talk to any soldier who has been through a battle or a war, they tell you that the only thing that saved their lives was either the man next to them or their training.”
Harry Humphries (GSGI and On-Set Advisor) continues, “In this particular situation because of the intense support we received for the Department of Defense, I had three separate training commands. Twenty one of our actors portraying Rangers went through a modified Ranger indoctrination program, or a RIPIT as they call it, with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning. The regiment put up the best instructors they had in the house, and it was without doubt one of the finest training session I’ve ever seen any group of actors go through. At Fort Bragg, three actors portraying commandos went through another training program with the 7th Special Forces. Our two Black Hawk pilots went to Fort Campbell and worked with the 160th SOAR helicopter training program. This was unparalleled to any D.O.D training program that has ever been put forth – a wonderful co-operative effort.”
At Fort Benning, Ranger instructors felt a strong personal stake in Black Hawk Down. Many of them had fought there, many knew the men who had died there. Ranger Training Detachment commandant First Sgt. James Hardy’s goal was to ensure that the 21 actors had a good understanding of the Ranger mentality and way of life, and how events played out in Mogadishu over those two days.
Ranger instructors taught classes from general military knowledge (how to wear uniform properly, customs and courtesies) to advanced marksmanship skills. The actors learned the Ranger Creed and Ranger history, hand-to-hand combat techniques, how to tie knots and use radios. On the fourth day of training, the actors fired M16-A2 rifles and squad automatic weapons. While at Fort Benning, the actors got their “high-and-tight” Ranger haircuts, wore desert-camouflaged uniforms and nametags with their Ranger characters’ names on them.
EPIC STORY, EPIC FILMING
To be on the set of ‘Black Hawk Down’ in sale during filming was to be witness to a daily spectacle that sometimes defied description. Thousands of actors and extras arrayed in respective uniform or Somali native costume, myriad weaponry, fearsome explosions and fires, hovering helicopters either photographing the action or being photographed from ground and air, all in the midst of a population either fascinated or puzzled by the incredible activities of the cast and crew. Tremendous base camps were set up for both first and second units, with a huge array of campers, trailers, trucks and other production vehicles, and numerous tents for catering , extras holding and costuming. When not being utilized on the set, dozens of military vehicles –humvees, tanks, trucks, and Somali ‘technicals’ (dilapidated pickup trucks with jerry-mounted .50 caliver machine guns), most of them purchased by the production and then either severely damaged and destroyed during filming – were also housed at the base camps, which often had to be packed up and moved depending on which part of the city the production was based on any given day.
While there is no question that the inhabitants of Sidi Moussa and other districts of Sale were occasionally inconvenienced or unnerved by the filming, the production also provided an extraordinary number of jobs or financial compensation for its inhabitants, a welcome relief considering the districts 85% unemployment rate. More often than not the good citizens of Sale – particularly those in Sidi Moussa – displayed remarkable co-operation and friendliness towards its cinematic visitors, often inviting crew members inside their homes for several glasses of ubiquitous Moroccan mint tea and sweets.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual effects supervisor Tim Burke sought to enhance reality by integrating visual effects with on-set photography, so that the two would be seamless. Just one example of this alchemy occurred for a scene in which a Somali rocket-propelled grenade is fired at a hovering Black Hawk, which causes Private Blackburn to miss the rope and fall 60 feet to the ground. “There was a complicated choreography that was needed to tell the story, so we worked very closely with Pietro Scalia, the film editor, and filmed elements of Black Hawks doing specific kinds of flying. We then matted those to the other shots to relocate them in the correct environment. Then we added computer generated rockets being fired at the Black Hawk, so the final shot was to be a combination of the two elements: live action and computer graphics.
QUOTES BY ORLANDO
On his accent…
“I decided to speak with my American voice all day long so that I felt the voice was my own. Americans are also very strong and focused in the way they communicate, whereas the Brits kind of offer something and then stop a bit. There’s also a difference in the body language between the two nationalities. I had to learn to just kind of relax, whereas we’re somewhat more formal in Great Britain.”
On the real men of ‘Black Hawk Down’…
“Theirs is not to reason why, theirs but to do or die,” quotes Orlando Bloom applying the famous lines of fellow Englishman Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘The Charge Of The Light Brigade’ to the men who fought in Somalia. “They went into Mogadishu, did what they were trained to do and put their lives on the line. The fact that their Government soon after pulled out of Somalia was out of the Task Force Rangers hands. These men were the foot soldiers. And anyone who puts themselves in that position succeeds on every level in my book.”
ABOUT THE CAST
(*NOTE: This press kit was compiled before the release of ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’ so there is very little filmography on Orlando.*)
Orlando Bloom: (Ranger Pvt. First Class Todd Blackburn) will be seen as Legolas in all three films of Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy of J.R.R Tolkein’s classic The Lord Of The Rings. He also appeared in the highly regarded film Wilde.
THE RANGER CREED
Recognising that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high ‘esprit de corps’ of the Rangers.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea or air, I accept the face that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One hundred per cent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, my neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.
RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
*All photos © 2001 Revolution Studios/Columbia Pictures*
Josh Hartnett stars as Eversmann in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Grimes is played by Ewan McGregor in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Josh Hartnett plays Ranger Eversmann in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Sam Shephard plays Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Ty Burrell (left) plays Wilkinson and Jeremy Piven (on stretcher)plays Wolcott in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Josh Hartnett (right) plays Eversmann and Orlando Bloom (center) plays Blackburn in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Eversmann is played by Josh Hartnett (right) and Gallentine us played by Gregory Sporleder (left) in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Rangers try to free Wolcott (Jeremy Piven) from the crashed Black Hawk in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Yurek is played by Thomas Guiry in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
American soldiers arrive in Mogadishu in Black Hawk and Little Bird helicopters in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
A fleet of Black Hawks launches for their mission in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Black Hawk and Little Bird helicopters make their way to Mogadishu in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
American troops descend upon Mogadishu in the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Ridley Scott directs the Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer chats with Ridley Scott during the filming of Columbia Pictures/RevolutionStudios presentation of Black Hawk Down.
Black Hawk Down premiered on 19 December 2001, The Beckman Theatre, New York.