As a documentation of troop movements during 15 hours of fighting in Mogadishu on October 3 1992, the film is stunningly precise. All the military personnel featured (bar one) really existed and each twist and turn of the battle is recreated faithfully.
The source is the 1999 book by journalist Mark Bowden, who reconstructed the firefight and the events surrounding it by drawing on veteransÕ testimonies as well as audio and video recordings of the actual battle. The film follows the book closely, with even the smallest incidents Ð like PillaÕs mocking impersonation of Steele, and the donkey that walks down the street oblivious to the bullets raging around him Ð being reproduced faithfully. Unlike similar movies, simplification of events and compositing of characters is minimal (which, it has to be said, can make it a little confusing).
The film-makers were anxious to get the look and feel of the conflict right. Twenty-two of the actors underwent a weekÕs Ranger familiarisation training at Fort Benning to prepare them for their roles. As Josh Hartnett put it: ÔWe were taught to move and think like a Ranger. They teach you slogans like ÔSlow is smooth and smooth is fast,Õ which means that if youÕre bouncing around, you really canÕt see whatÕs happening around you.Õ
On the set, Army consultant Major Andres Ortegon monitored filming daily to ensure authenticity. A US Special Operations Command task force - the first task force ever established to support the making of a movie Ð provided technical advice, and its members included men who were actually involved in the 1993 battle. There was little need for special effects as most of the military stunts in the film, from flying choppers to roping Rangers, were performed by actual members of army units, in real Black Hawk helicopters. Army pilot Keith Jones was given the opportunity to re-enact his real-life rescue of Delta operator Daniel Busch. Some of the scenes on the monitors behind Major General Garrison are actual satellite images of the battle.
This kind of attention to detail brought praise from veterans and top military brass. ÔItÕs a very real depiction of what happened,Õ Ranger Jeff Struecker, who fought in the battle, told a newspaper. ÔHistorically the movie is extremely accurate.Õ Army general John M. Keane said, Ô[Jerry Bruckheimer, producer] came into my office and said, ÒGeneral, I'm going to make a movie that you and your army will be proud of.Ó He did that, so we thank him.Õ
However, while the actions of the military are reproduced faithfully and accurately, the same cannot be said for the portrayal of the Somalis.
The opening titles of the film attempt to set the film in context. But the brief collection of ÔfactsÕ that purport to explain the American intervention is wildly misleading. The impression given is that the troops are there to feed the starving, that General Aidid has declared war on the UN without provocation and that the slaughter of Pakistani soldiers was an act of aggression by AididÕs men. In fact, as explained earlier, the famine had by this point ended, it was the US that first targeted Aidid and the raid on the radio station by Pakistani peacekeepers was initiated by the UN.
The idea that Aidid was a ÔwarlordÕ who needed to be disposed of to Ôrestore orderÕ is presented as undisputed fact. But this was actually a dramatic change in strategy that did not have the unqualified support of the UN, or even American policymakers.
And for good reason. For the clan Aidid led was not a criminal gang that could be removed from society cleanly and quickly, but a complex social organisation based on ties of deep-seated loyalty. It did not rule Somalia but was one of several groups competing for power Ð all of which carried out unwholesome activities like sequestering food aid. The caricature of the Habr Gidr as the Ôbad guysÕ in Somalia was the very misconception that got US troops into so much trouble Ð so it is depressing to see it repeated it in the film so uncritically.
Given no information to the contrary, the viewer will assume the Somali combatants in the film are bloodthirsty and fanatical supporters of Aidid. Yet many were just local people who found themselves being fired on by US troops and acted on impulse to defend their homes and families. The killings of Somali civilians by US troops before Oct 3 gets no mention, so this armed response seems unreasonable, when in fact the local population had every reasoned to be terrified.
The fact that over 1000 Somalis compared to 18 Americans were killed during the battle will surprise many viewers, as the film portrays a massacre of Americans by Somalis, rather than the other way round. For example, when a helicopter comes down, the whole descent and eventual crash is depicted in intricate detail - except for the child who was crushed in the house it destroyed.
Few Somalis speak in the film and when they do it is only to condemn themselves. One of them is DurantÕs captor, Firimbi, who is shown to be rude, aggressive and threatening. In fact, the real-life Firimbi was courteous and did everything in his power to make his prisoner comfortable. He attended to his wounds, provided him with a radio, and eventually allowed him to write a letter and for Red Cross officials to visit.
In the movie, Firimbi tells Durant: ÔIn Somalia, killing is negotiation. There will always be killing, you see? These are how things are in our world.Õ The impression is given of Somalis as savage primitives who need to be taught how to behave by the civilised West.
Ironic, then that it was the American training given to the Afghan mujahideen Ð who passed it on in turn to their Somalian co-religionists Ð which enabled AididÕs men to shoot down two US helicopters with RPG missiles on October 3, 1992.
One final point: On seeing the film, the commander of the Malaysian forces in Somalia at the time, Brigadier-General Abdul Latif Ahmad, was aggrieved that his troopsÕ role in rescuing the Americans was played down. ÔMoviegoers will be under the wrong impression that the real battle was fought by the Americans alone, while we were mere bus drivers to ferry them out,Õ he complained. In fact, each vehicle in the rescue convoy had a Malaysian gunner as well as a Malaysian driver.
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