This painting is an invaluable item of cultural heritage, and is also of great importance to those who know the value of human life. It was released in 2001 and instantly conquered not only America, but the whole world.
Original and meaning
This war drama is based on real events described in Mark Bowden's book, The Fall of the Black Hawk: A History of Modern Warfare. At the Russian box office, the film was released under the name Black Hawk. Actors, perfectly fulfilling their roles, were able to convey to the audience sincere, insightful images of completely different people who found themselves on foreign territory. Thanks to their soulful game, we see what a person is ready to do for the sake of saving innocent lives and achieving common goals. This is a story about real courage, nobility and sacrifice, embodied on the screen by such celebrities as Sam Shepard, Orlando Bloom and other no less famous personalities.
Plot
The events of the film transfer viewers in 1993, when for two days the American military were eyewitnesses and indirect participants in the civil war in Somalia. Every day more and more victims, and mostly civilians suffer. The reason for this is urban field commanders that prevent residents from receiving humanitarian aid. UN peacekeepers are powerless in this situation, and then the US command in Somalia decides to take control in their own hands. Employees are aware that if they do not capture the culprits in the near future, thousands more innocent people will die. It was decided to carry out an operation, the purpose of which is to capture the main minions of Muhammad Farah Aydid, who controls the city. The Ranger operational-tactical group is being formed, led by the best specialists. At first, everything goes according to plan, but suddenly a real massacre unfolds, which threatens to take dozens of lives.
Creators
The script for the picture was written by the debutant Ken Nolan, and the director's chair was taken by Ridley Scott. He has accounted for more than 30 films, and by the time of filming he had already managed to become one of the most sought-after in Hollywood. His fourteenth full-length work is Black Hawk. Actors even then dreamed of starring with him at least in a secondary role. As a result, young talents were involved, who at that time were just starting their careers. For Eric Bana, Joan Griffith, Orlando Bloom, Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett, this tape was one of the first in the filmography, and reached a grandiose scale. The actors were also involved, on whose account by that time there were many significant roles. In addition to such American celebrities as, for example, William Fichtner, the caste was replenished with one of the brightest stars of British cinema, Jason Isaacs. And Jerry Bruckheimer, who played in the film, also became one of the producers.
Main character
Many of the cast members starred together in the historical military drama Pearl Harbor, which was released in the same 2001. Josh Hartnett starred in both films, and in "Black Hawk" his character became central. According to the plot, he is the head sergeant of the 75th ranger regiment, his name is Matt Eversmann. His hero is still young and did not have time to visit large-scale battles. Pressure is exerted on all sides, so he needs great effort not to lose his temper and to show his courage. He is one of those who cause the strongest emotions and feelings just by his appearance on the screen or a pair of remarks. Prior to that, he was not particularly known to the public, and we can say that it was this image that gave a start to his further development in acting. Later, he starred in such films as “40 Days, 40 Nights,” “Obsession,” “City of Sins,” and “The Lucky Number of Slevin.” Currently, Josh Hartnett is playing one of the main roles in the popular series "Scary Tales."
75th regiment
The rangers in this regiment were embodied on the screen by more than twenty different actors. Ewan McGregor played John Grimes, the prototype of which was Sergeant John Stebbins. He is the only character whose name was intentionally changed due to the charge of his carrier in raping his own daughter. Tom Sizemore, whose career began in the late 80s, appeared in the image of Lieutenant Colonel Danny McKnight. Among the members of this unit, you can also see several actors who at that time were still beginners, but now the highest grossing films are being shot with their participation. It's about Tom Hardy. It was a full-length debut for him, and now he has already counted many really large projects. It is difficult to list all the actors and characters, since many of them are simply lost in the background of the main characters. However, thanks to Ewan Bremner, Hugh Dancy, Joan Griffith, Charlie Hofheimer and Tom Guyri, viewers were able to learn about those strong personalities who sacrifice themselves to save others, but often remain in the background.
Delta
The role of Sam Shepard has also become one of the most soulful in the picture. Prior to that, he already had quite a lot of acting experience, but thanks to the on-screen image of Major General William Harrison, his career began to develop even more rapidly. One of the memorable members of the Delta squad was first-class sergeant Norm Gibbson, whom everyone called simply Hoot. He was played by Australian actor Eric Bana. After this role, he became very revered in Hollywood and starred in a small number of films, which, however, became very famous and memorable. The sergeant's partner was Jeff Sanderson. Prior to this, William Fichtner managed to star in more than 20 films, and this role added diversity to his filmography. It should also be noted such members of the special forces as Gary Harrell and Gary Gordon, who were played by Zeljko Ivanek and Nikolai Koster-Waldau. For them, it was also a fateful moment in their careers. But for the judoka Johnny Strong, the image of Randy Shuggart became the last of the screens, since in the future he chose a musical path for himself.
Other roles
Most characters relate specifically to the above units, however, there are several other notable and equally significant roles. Ron Eldard and Jeremy Piven played Super-61 and Super-64 pilots who were shot down by the enemy. And Glenn Morshauer embodied on the screen the brave commander and lieutenant colonel Tom Matthews. On the account of the actor there are many full-length and television works, including Transformers, Pearl Harbor, Godzilla and several parts of Star Trek. In addition to them, there are also several significant characters for the plot of the movie "Black Hawk." Actors George Harris and Ty Barrell did not enter any of the units around which the main action spins. Nevertheless, the first played the famous Somali leader Osman Ali Atto. Fans of the Harry Potter saga can know him by his role as a member of the Order of the Phoenix Kingsley Brewster. But Barrell, who played the role of Timothy A. Wilkinson, later became an outstanding voice actor. He also received an Emmy Award twice for his starring role in the television series The American Family.
Other famous works of actors
For many actors involved in the film, their roles were a big step in a successful future. Many of their subsequent paintings collected huge box office, were awarded the greatest awards of the film industry and became popular throughout the world. There is hardly a person who has not watched at least one part of The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. In the latter, the role of the death eater and the head of the Malfoy family was played by Jason Isaacs. It was after such paintings as “Armageddon” and “Black Hawk” that his popularity went beyond the borders of his native Great Britain. And Orlando Bloom most remembered in the image of Legolas in the mentioned saga of Middle-earth. Ewan McGregor, while he was just starting to gain momentum, starring in George Lux, and the role of Ridley Scott finally confirmed him as a promising young actor. William Fichtner and Tom Hardy, for example, are united in their involvement in the Christopher Nolan trilogy about Batman. And Nikolai Koster-Waldau is currently one of the key characters in the popular Game of Thrones. A variety of major roles can boast Eric Bana. It is difficult not to notice him in the films "Munich", "Hulk", "Troy," Star Trek "and many others, since he plays the main characters there.
Interesting Facts
As for the director Ridley Scott, he with the same success shot a lot of historical and fantastic films, in addition to the tape "Black Hawk". The actors in his films truly have a unique talent and embody the most complex images. It is noteworthy that for the sake of filming the aforementioned drama, he refused to work on the third part of "Terminator".
In order to create the necessary realism and a similar environment, the film crew went to Morocco. Their main goal was not political propaganda, but creative objectivity in showing important historical events. There is also a directorial version of 152 minutes in length, which is slightly superior to the timing of the screen version. An interesting fact is that even direct participants in the battle that unfolded that year were involved in the painting to create realism.
Awards and criticism
In 2002, at the Academy Awards, the film "Black Hawk" won 2 figurines: for the best sound and editing. Unfortunately, Ridley Scott did not get the coveted statuette for directing, as it was deservedly received by Ron Howard for "Mind Games". However, the picture has other nominations. These include "Best Movie" and "Best Action Scene" at the MTV Movie Awards, as well as 3 technical nominations for the prestigious British BAFTA Award. Although the actors for this picture were not awarded, many of them before and after filming the film were presented countless times at the most prestigious awards in the world. For example, Sam Shepard was nominated for an Oscar for the film Guys What You Need, and Ridley Scott, although he did not receive the main American award, has in his collection a Palm Branch and 2 Saturn awards.