Latest news with #SurvivingBlackHawkDown
The Guardian
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The week in TV: Unforgotten; Virdee; Live Super Bowl LIX; Surviving Black Hawk Down
Unforgotten (ITV1) | (BBC One) | iPlayerLive NFL Super Bowl LIX (Sky Sports/Now)Surviving Black Hawk Down (Netflix) As multinationals rush to appease the Orange One by ripping up their DEI policies, it can at least be said that British television is a lot less racially monochrome than it used be. Yet for all the inroads made into previously off-limits areas such as costume dramas, it's still quite rare to see lead actors of colour. So it's worth recognising that two primetime series on the most watched terrestrial channels last week featured South Asian-heritage actors in main roles, even if neither of them set the world on fire. The first, Unforgotten (ITV1), is now 10 years old, which is almost long enough to warrant its own cold case review. The format of the six-part sixth series remains reliably unchanged: two police detectives – DI 'Sunny' Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar), and the more recent addition, DCI Jess James (Sinéad Keenan) – revisit an old crime, and the culprit is to be found somewhere among several disparate plot strands that slowly come together. Although Khan is the series stalwart, his role is often thanklessly passive, which means being an exposition mouthpiece or asking the sort of questions designed to ensure that no viewer, however slow or distracted, is left behind. When a pathologist, inspecting a section of human spine dug out of an east London marsh, explains that cutting a femoral artery would lead to catastrophic blood loss followed by a heart attack, it's DI Khan's job to ask: 'Could that possibly be a cause of death?' Well, only in the same way that decapitation could possibly lead to health complications. Chris Lang's writing seems to have slipped a little below the high standards established in Nicola Walker's leading role heyday. Yet there's a Zen-like acceptance to the way that Bhaskar delivers his lines, as if he's not going to let some leaden dialogue hinder the smooth running of proceedings. It's an unshowy performance of an undramatic part, to which he brings the necessary grounding in a storyline that contains more mysteries – why did DCI James's husband cook her sea bass? And where is Whitney Marsh? – than even the most dogged detective could ever hope to untangle. If Bhaskar's heritage is incidental in Unforgotten, then it's at the heart of Virdee (BBC One), a new Bradford-set crime drama adapted from AA Dhand's novels. Harry Virdee is a detective whose Sikh father has disowned him because he married a Muslim woman. Virdee goes straight by the TV detective book in that he doesn't go by the book. He cuts corners, acts on instinct and is prone to lose interest in conventional investigative methods the moment a suspect doesn't immediately confess his guilt. To complicate matters, his beloved wife's brother is the head of a local criminal gang. What differentiates Virdee from the countless cop shows from which it's derived is its focus on the protagonist's ethnicity. The crime plot has a cup of tea and puts its feet up early on in the story for about 15 minutes while we witness our hero's existential struggles with his divided cultural and familial obligations. This fusion of crime thriller and identity crisis might work better if it were handled more naturalistically. Instead, everything is emotionally and visually overwrought, so the effect is a little as if Dirty Harry has been relocated to a northern mill town and filmed with a Bollywood aesthetic. That actually sounds more compelling than the first episode proved to be. One small but perhaps not inconsequential detail is that all of the main thugs and the lead psycho were white. No big narrative deal, it might be said, but in the week when the Reform party topped the polls, it will be interesting to see how Virdee goes down with a broad audience. The Orange One was to be seen last week attending the NFL Super Bowl LIX (Sky Sports) game in New Orleans – a gladiatorial jamboree of physical prowess, mega-celebrity and posturing attitude that racked up more than six hours on my TV recorder. It began with Jon Batiste slightly mangling The Star-Spangled Banner, and continued, eventually, with the main attraction: a marathon of hyperbolic commentary and commercials interrupted by occasional snatches of a sports game. I say main attraction, but of course that was really the half-time entertainment, a much-anticipated appearance by Kendrick Lamar. The dramatic tension rested on the question of whether or not the rapper would perform Not Like Us, his 'diss' track about his rival, the Canadian rapper Drake. To no big surprise he did, and a gleeful Serena Williams turned up to do the crip walk – a hip-hop dance move – on the grave of her former friend's reputation. There's a way of viewing all this as great theatre, but is America's most treasured sporting event the appropriate venue for this highly lucrative spat to be played out? Even if rap didn't boast a lethal history of feud escalation, it would still look a lot like crass commercialisation of a personal vendetta. No doubt the first sitting US president to attend a Super Bowl, and a keen grudge-holder himself, approved. But then Donald Trump wouldn't be alone. So widespread has been the Lamar love-in that I warmed to Neil Reynolds, the host of the British transmission, when he admitted that he had thought the rapper was a basketball player. That was presumably before he laid eyes on the music artist's economical 5ft 6in form. Economical is seldom the word used to describe a Netflix documentary. And Surviving Black Hawk Down is no exception. It tells the story of the brutal 1993 battle in Mogadishu between Somali militants and American special forces that was the basis of Ridley Scott's 2001 film Black Hawk Down. This three-part film is produced by Scott's TV company, and its strength is that, unlike the film, it offers a voice to the combatants on both sides as well as the civilians caught in the middle. While it powerfully conveys the trauma of warfare, the effect is undermined by the relentless re-enactments of the battle scenes, which double its running time. The emotional truth is to be found not in the dramatised shootouts but in the simple etched faces, black and white, of the people who'd survived the real thing. Star ratings (out of five) Unforgotten ★★★ Virdee ★★★ Live NFL Super Bowl LIX ★★ Surviving Black Hawk Down ★★★ Amandaland (BBC One) Amanda (the excellent Lucy Punch) is one of those people with a panoramic blind spot. A small comic triumph of perfectly pitched social observations about minor downward mobility. Hacks (Now) Jean Smart is fabulous as an ageing standup comedian who employs a young writer to update her act in this clever take on the generation gap.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down' On Netflix, Where Americans And Somalis Recall The Deadly 1993 Battle Of Mogadishu
Surviving Black Hawk Down is a three-part docuseries, directed by Jack MacInnes and produced by Ridley Scott Associates, where people who were involved in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia talk about that fateful time. The Battle of Mogadishu is better known in the U.S. as the 'Black Hawk Down incident,' where Somali fighters downed three Black Hawk helicopters and fought Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers tooth and nail for two days. In all, 18 American soldiers died, as well as hundreds of Somalis, in the worst losses the U.S. military had suffered since the Vietnam War. The battle was fictionalized for Scott's 2001 film Black Hawk Down. Opening Shot: We see the neon-clad outside of a diner. Inside, a man sits down at a booth. 'So Dave, October 3, 1993,' the director says. 'A long time ago,' says Dave. The Gist: In the series, MacInnes not only speaks to members of the Rangers and Delta Force for the series, but he also speaks to Somalis who were fighting the U.S. forces. Deployed at first as part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission and an effort to help with the famine that was a result of Somalia's civil war, the U.S. military's mission changed in mid-1993 to try to take out General Mohammed Farah Aidid, head of the Somali National Alliance. On October 3, 1993, Delta Force, supported by the Rangers, went on a mission in Mogadishu to take out some of Adid's lieutenants. What ended up happening was that fighting was fierce, despite ragtag nature of the Somali insurgents and freedom fighters, for the simple reason that support had solidified behind Adid after air raids by the U.S. killed dozens of civilians. What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As we mentioned, the docuseries takes its lead from the film Black Hawk Down, but it also is reminiscent of the recent Apple TV+ docuseries Vietnam: The War That Changed Take: Surviving Black Hawk Down is an engaging docuseries because it goes over the Battle of Mogadishu in an amount of detail that most people have never been exposed to before. Even if you remember the Black Hawk Down incident, especially the horrifying footage of freedom fighters dragging the body of a dead U.S. soldier through the streets of the city, or if you saw Scott's 2001 film, you likely don't have much of a recall about what led up to this battle or even why U.S. forces were in Somalia in the first place. MacInnes uses the interviews, archival footage and well-staged reenactments to put viewers in the middle of the fight. Through his interviews with Rangers and Delta Force members, we got context on how they came to their particular assignments, how young many of the Rangers truly were, and how utterly confident-to-the-point-of-cockiness they were going into these missions. On the other hand, the balance of hearing from the Somalis that fought against a country that they quickly saw as an invaders rather than humanitarians gives us a good picture of how they were able to fight so fiercely and bring down the three Black Hawks, despite not having the training or weaponry the Americans had. The first episode leads to the downing of the Black Hawks, while the remaining two episodes go into what happened after that, including the attempted rescues of the Black Hawk occupants that survived the crashes, as well as the media spectacle around the failed mission. What we hope the series discusses is how the failure in Somalia affected U.S. foreign policy during Bill Clinton's presidency, including the U.S. staying out of the genocide in Rwanda. We also hope there might be at least some insight into why it doesn't seem that we were able to take lessons from Vietnam, where a motivated force prevailed over the U.S. Hearing some of the soldiers and how they recounted the battle, they definitely felt like they felt they had the skills and tech to overwhelm a group they thought was ragtag and unorganized. Even 31 years later, their surprise at the fierceness of the fight was apparent. Sex and Skin: None. Parting Shot: 'This is going bad, quick,' says one of the Delta Force soldiers about the situation after the first Black Hawk went Star: We'll give this to every one of the Somalis that talked for the docuseries. It's refreshing to see their viewpoint of the Pilot-y Line: While we generally rail against reenactments, the ones in this series are very well-done, so no complaint from us. Our Call: STREAM IT. Surviving Black Hawk Down gives viewers details to a battle that is still remembered but whose context has pretty much faded in the last three decades. Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn't kid himself: he's a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, Fast Company and elsewhere.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The True Story Behind ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down'
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." THERE'S A GOOD chance you don't know the Battle of Mogadishu outside of a not-so-little movie called Black Hawk Down. Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator), the 2001 action film offered a fly-on-the-wall, scarily jittery portrayal of the very-real fight between U.S. soldiers and militia members in Mogadishu, Somalia, which took place from October 3 to October 4, 1993. It was itself adapted from Mark Bowden's seminal 1999 nonfiction book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, albeit retold through a fictionalized lens, and featured a still-starry cast including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, and Tom Hardy (in his first film role!). It also went on to win two Academy Awards, for Best Film Editing and Best Sound at 2002's Oscars ceremony. But if the history of the shocking true war story has escaped you, Netflix's new documentary, Surviving Black Hawk Down, fills in the gaps. In a full-circle moment, the three-part series, from Ridley Scott himself (through his Ridley Scott Associates company) and directed by Jack MacInnes, debuted on the streamer on February 10. It trains its eye on both soldiers and Somali individuals who survived the skirmish and whose lives were irrevocably changed as a result. In addition to interviews with those involved, the docuseries uses reenactments and contemporaneous on-the-ground footage to provide a comprehensive, multi-pronged perspective on the devastating bloodshed. It's a different-but-crucial take on a lesser-known battle in American and global war history, but what are the key facts you need to know? And what is the broader legacy of this moment, as seen in Surviving Black Hawk Down? We break it all down here. Stream Surviving Black Hawk Down Here Shop Now While the battle happened over a two-day period, it was actually the culmination of a U.S.-led intervention in Somalia that started in 1992. American military entered Somalia with the purpose of protecting food aid to civilians. Local warlords had overtaken any kind of functional government after the dictator Mohammed Siad Barre had been pushed out the year prior, according to Brittanica. At the same time, the United Nations had stepped in, attempting to form a coalition government. Work on the ground was overseen by the U.S. Army in an effort known as Operation Restore Hope, backed by President George H.W. Bush and successor Bill Clinton. While the battle crisis became the focus, especially in the U.S., the U.N. did estimate that 250,000 lives were ultimately saved by the overall effort, per Smithsonian. American forces decided that their main objective would be to neutralize the warlord Muhammad Farah Aydid and his Habr Gidr militia. This meant Major General William Garrison coordinating a raid using special forces on a hotel in Mogadishu, where Aydid was believed to be hiding out. And so Operation Gothic Serpent commenced on October 3, with forces who landed in helicopters securing the hotel and taking prisoners—though notably not Aydid, who was nowhere to be found. The operation only got worse from there. Vehicles trying to extract the prisoners faced roadblocks and ammunition on the streets. Worse, two Black Hawk helicopters (among the most-equipped military helicopters) were shot down by rocket-propelled grenades, giving both the Black Hawk Down book and film their menacing names. As a result, surviving crew members from the air had to fight through combatants—and in some cases, wait out gunfire in nearby homes until morning. Two American soldiers who fought off Somalis were killed, and a helicopter pilot was captured. In the morning of October 4, 1993, following what was clearly a disaster, 100 vehicles sent by the U.S. and U.N. barreled through the gunfighting and wreckage to retrieve survivors, with more threatening skirmishes underway. Not surprisingly, given how it was seen as an utter failure, the operation marked the end of America's mission in Somalia. Clinton quickly pulled troops out of the region. More than 30 years after the events that would inspire Scott's Black Hawk Down, Netflix's Surviving Black Hawk Down—with Scott's own production company orchestrating the renewed action—is detailed in its reporting and retrospective look at what happened. The three episodes include interviews with members of the Army Rangers and Delta Force, who acted as special operation units during the Battle of Mogadishu. Additionally, Somalians appear throughout, among them militiamen who went against American forces, women exposed to the violence and mayhem, and a war photographer. What they all share is a sense of the importance of remembering such a harrowing event, long after it has receded in many people's minds. You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix adds engrossing documentary telling real story behind Oscar-winning movie
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Netflix has added Surviving Black Hawk Down, an absorbing three-part documentary series that tells the true story of the events that inspired Ridley Scott's blockbuster movie. Black Hawk Down, released in 2001, followed US soldiers as they were sent into Somalia's capital Mogadishu, to capture a warlord. But things quickly went wrong as a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down and the mission degenerated into a series of shambolic battles with nothing going to plan. The movie, which boasted an all-star cast including Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor, was acclaimed, winning two Oscars. We commented that Scott "brilliantly captured a sense of terrifying chaos". Now, this documentary aims to tell the complete story by interviewing those on both sides of The Battle of Mogadishu. As Netflix puts it the series blends "raw, immersive storytelling", with first-person interviews. In October 1993, elite American troops launched a raid on the capital of Somalia. At the time, the US was leading a UN mission to end the civil war and famine in the African country. President Bill Clinton tasked them with capturing the allies of a powerful Somalia warlord, General Mohamed Farrah Aidid, and his allies. However, the raid went disastrously wrong with two US Black Hawk helicopters shot down. In the battle 18 Americans and hundreds of Somalis [the exact number is unknown] were killed. Countless people involved from both sides. It makes the documentary more interesting that you get both sides as obviously, they have very different perspectives on events. Among those interviewed are three US Army Rangers, who give an insight into how they got into the elite force and how they didn't know what to expect. US Army Rangers' Randy Ramaglia says in the opening episode: "You know the funny thing when I look back is I was shot in combat before I had my first legal beer." Recalling the events that led up to the battle he remembers playing the board game Risk with some of his fellow troops while enjoying a day off at their base at Mogadishu airport. Suddenly it was yelled out that they had a mission. "I was excited," he says. "I was confident we were the most proficient fighting force in the world. I did think I was invincible. But the reality was you're just kids." Also interviewed are US Army Rangers David Diemer US Army Rangers 'Brad Thomas, who talk about their feelings about arriving in Mogadishu. Also involved in the operation was Delta Force, a unit specializing in taking high-value targets. Tom Satterly from Delta Force explains: "Nobody really references its Delta Force to keep its secrecy". He added: "Our strategy was to generally go in at night. We had the technology that they didn't have [like night vision devices]. We had the Black Hawks or little birds, we used the helicopters to look down on the whole battlefield to have the advantage above. I thought this is going to be easy. You guys aren't trained, you have old broken AK-47s if you're lucky… I was itching and raring to go.' Yes, absolutely. The fact that so many people involved are interviewed gives you a real sense of what happened. It also uses archive footage well. Also if you enjoyed the movie, it's fascinating to get a fuller picture of The Battle of Mogadishu. Surviving Black Hawk Down is on Netflix now globally.
Telegraph
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Surviving Black Hawk Down, Netflix, review: cleverly captures the chaos of war
Surviving Black Hawk Down , a Netflix historical documentary looking at the disastrous I say 'sensible': the danger for any documentary about how awful war can be is it comes out making war look great. The original 2001 film Surviving Black Hawk Down does its utmost to render the absolute chaos of the battle while still offering context and hindsight. It's a high-wire act, marrying calm with carnage, but film-maker Jack MacInnes, who also directed the excellent Leaving Afghanistan, follows the good documentarian's playbook to the letter. There are first-hand accounts from the US soldiers, but there are as many from the Somalians who fought back. The three episodes are alive to the suffering and cruelty of both sides, while also, particularly in the first episode, making time for the bigger picture and questioning what the Americans were doing there in the first place. It also notes, cleverly, that the Battle occurred at an interesting time in technological terms — this was a pre-mobile phone age, but a Somalian cameraman with a camcorder was on hand both to film the mayhem of the original mission as well as to capture the infamous footage of the US helicopter pilot, Mike Durant, who was taken prisoner. Both are interviewed at length here, in a nod to how media representations of war – filming it – are so central to our understanding of modern history. The producers might, I thought, even have gone a little further and asked the soldiers who fought that day what they made of the movie that has enshrined them in American military legend. You can't attempt to tell a true story without addressing the abiding fictions, after all. But then Surviving Black Hawk Down is a This is both its strength – it looks incredible; the re-enactions are movie-quality and the access is superb – as well as its weakness. Black Hawk Down the Hollywood movie embodied the controversies that always surround thrilling war stories. It might have been good to see what Ridley thought about all that.
