Black Hawk Down/Jarhead/Tears of the Sun

Triple bill of war films. 'Black Hawk Down' (2001) is a state-of-the-art war movie from director Ridley Scott, based on the US military blunders which took place in Somalia in 1993.

Following a series of attacks by warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid on a Red Cross distribution centre, a group of US Rangers are sent on a mission to capture two of Aidid's close associates in the capital city Mogadishu.

However, after successfully apprehending their targets, the Americans come under heavy attack from the residents of the city.

In the ensuing chaos, a US Black Hawk helicopter is shot down, and the surviving crew find themselves trapped in a confused and relentless shooting battle with the enemy. 'Jarhead' (2005) is an adaptation of former Marine Anthony Swofford's Gulf War memoir directed by Sam Mendes.

Young recruit Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) joins up with the US Marines (nicknamed 'Jarheads' because of their distinctive haircuts) on the eve of the 1990 Gulf War.

After a brutal spell in boot camp, during which Swofford and his fellow recruits are systematically geared up for the conflict, the Marines are dispatched to the deserts of the Persian Gulf to take part in a war that sees them required to do very little in the way of fighting.

Bored and frustrated in the middle of nowhere, the young soldiers resort to a macabre sense of humour as they wait for the war to happen to them. 'Tears of the Sun' (2003) stars Bruce Willis as loyal veteran Lt.

A.K. Waters of the Navy S.E.A.L unit. Sent to war-torn Nigeria to rescue refugee worker Dr Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), he finds himself struggling between following his orders and his heart.

Kendricks persuades Waters to escort her refugees on a dangerous journey through jungle to nearby Cameroon where safety awaits.