Big names swoop for Black Hawk

The premiere of the film Black Hawk Down brought some of Britain's finest screen talent to the Empire in Leicester Square.

Ewan McGregor and Ioan Gruffudd, who both star in the film, turned up last night alongside its director Ridley Scott. The film is about the battle of Mogadishu, when an elite group of US soldiers entered the Somali capital in pursuit of warlords. Two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down resulting in one of the largest US military rescue missions of recent times.

Speaking at the premiere, Scott, whose credits include Blade Runner and Gladiator, said his latest film was relevant to the current allied action in Afghanistan. He said: "The film fundamentally discusses two things about intervention. First, should we intervene and secondly when should we do that. But it also raises the question about paying attention to what else is going on in the world."