Black Hawk Down | What to Watch

In 1993, the US sends troops (including Josh Hartnett) into Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, to capture a warlord

In 1993, the US sends troops (including Josh Hartnett) into Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, to capture a warlord.

Things go wrong from the start and, when a Black Hawk helicopter is shot down, the mission degenerates into a series of shambolic battles in which nothing goes to plan and the likes of Hartnett, Tom Sizemore and Ewan McGregor find themselves cut off and surrounded, desperately trying to stay alive.

Director Ridley Scott's epic true story brilliantly captures a sense of terrifying chaos, as the Americans throw their huge firepower into an already terrible situation and only succeed in making it much worse. Meanwhile, back at HQ, general Sam Shepard keeps giving orders but is several steps behind the real events.

Technically impeccable, the movie won Oscars for best editing and sound.