The Siege of Jadotville

Anyone who was lucky enough to see the recent stage play 'A Season in the Congo' in London a couple of years will have a good idea of the backdrop of events here. In time this may too be a feature film. We can only hope.

For those who do not know the background to the setting of these events - Its 1961 in the African Congo and the country is still reeling from the murder of its democratically elected President Patrice Lumumba. Complicit in his death were both the United States and the United Nations to whom Lumumba had appealed to for help when there was rebellion in his army, both had refused, so he turned to the Soviet Union for assistance which brought down scorn from the west. By the time the UN got its act together the country was under the command of Moise Tshombe and Lumumba had been murdered. Belgian Mercenaries working with Condolease troops loyal to Mobutu wanted the UN out and into all this mess arrived a group of Irish Soldiers sent auspiciously under the the guise of a Peace Keeping Mission to a remote location, their actual objective, not immediately clear. The UN, keen to show Mobutu has it was pulling the strings from here on seized several Government controlled buildings in the capital, during which several civilians were killed at a radio station. The UN in turn covered up these events, all the while in a distant outpost the small group of Irish Soldiers face a siege from thousands of troops. Unable to be reinforced and low on ammo water, how long can they hold out?

Thus is setting for the Siege of Jadotville. The European involvement in the Congo is a shameful and embarrassing part of our history which has been all too glossed over and the events depicted here were indeed also covered up themselves. The more films about this subject the better as far as I am concerned. But this is a story about the men on the ground as well as the mess that put them there. Young flush faced lads who have never seen the face of battle before. Their commander, played by Jamie Dornan, knows their in trouble and is quick to improve the defences and the film takes on something of a 'Zulu' quality.

The Casting here has been key Mark Strong is the face of the complex double duelling politic and as always puts in a great performance in his role.

Guillaume Canet heads up the Belgian mercenaries with an appropriate broodiness but the younger cast here, many of them relative unknowns are great. I predict great things to come for several of the actors - including Sam Keeley, Conor MacNeil, Charlie Kelly, Fionn O'Shea and Ronan Raftery to name just a few while Danny Sapani makes for an imposing Tshombe. Characteriasion is a little thin of the ground for some of the characters who become identifiable by what they do (Sniper, Radio Operator) rather than what they say, so its a credit to the cast and director that many of the nameless men manage to make their mark in ones memory. As with most films of this type female roles are somewhat underwritten but such is the nature of the piece. There has been mentions of Jamie Dornan's accent, I personally couldn't find too great a fault in it, it was his acting that constantly drew me on screen. Someone who knows how to do a great deal, just with a look rather than with dialogue. He just gets better in everything I see him in.

This is an extremely well made and worthy film that sets right an injustice that history was told not to tell at the time. It makes one wonder how many more such stories are out there. I am sure hundreds, no thousands. Recommended.

In 1961, the UN sends an Irish peacekeeper troop commanded by Commandant Pat Quilan (Jamie Dornan) to Katanga, in Congo, to protect the inhabitants of the mining town of Jadotville in the beginning of a civil war. Meanwhile the UN adviser Dr. Conor Cruise O'Brien (Mark Strong) launches a military attack named Operation Morthor against the French and Belgian mercenaries. Soon there is a reprisal from the mercenaries and Quilana and his men are left under the siege of a huge Katangese and mercenary troops. Will the Irish soldiers resist to the attack?

"The Siege of Jadotville" is a great action film with a story based on a true unknown story of courage. The action scenes are spectacular but the political conspiracy could be better explained for viewers that do not have knowledge of this historical event. But "The Siege of Jadotville" is worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

I was delighted to see the release of that genuine rarity - an Irish action/war film. And that its based on one of the great untold (or at least undersold) stories of valour makes it all the more intriguing. And its wonderful to see the 'Jadotville Jacks' finally having their story told.

I'm slightly reluctant to report that the film itself is something of a mixed bag. Its a particularly difficult story to tell because so many of the events are mired in historical controversy. Even a Graham Greene or John Le Carre would struggle to make sense of the conflicting real life plots of that period. Ultimately, nobody really knows why it was thought to make sense to isolate the soldiers in Jadotville and then fail so miserably to support them, or for that matter why the Katangans were so determined to dislodge them. We only know that the soldiers were victims of geopolitical plotting far from the battlefield. The films tortuous script tries hard to illuminate the multiple double dealings going on in the background, but ultimately this becomes tiresome and excessively literal.

The film tries very hard to be both a historical record, reasonably faithful to the events, and also a kick ass action film. Thats a very hard trick to pull off, and it doesn't quite manage it. Primarily, I think the problem is an excessively literal script - full of little walk in parts from historical figures making portentous and suitably ambiguous statements, with some clunky domestic scenes that try to illuminate the men behind the soldiers stranded in the town. Some of the dialogue is frankly a little painful. Thankfully, this is balanced by genuinely superb action scenes and a great narrative pace. I couldn't help thinking that this is a film that could have done with two different directors - the actual director who shows great talent and skill filming in Jadotville, and another who could handle the other parts of the film with a bit more subtlety and empathy.

It is a pity that it seems the film will not have a wide cinema release, because it deserves to be seen in the cinema. Certainly the audience in the cinema where I watched it were very enthusiastic about it (not least the ladies behind me who regularly expressed their appreciation of Jamie Doran quite loudly). But with luck it will be widely seen on Netflix.

I happened to be in Jadotville before the arrival of the Irish UN troops. The Katangese did not want the UN to be there at all and supported Moise Tshombe. Even the public aimed their hostility at the UN and praised Tsombe's mercenary forces. In Jadotville we knew that the Irish and trouble was coming, so some friends and I were evacuated to Elizabethville.

I lost touch with happenings at Jadotville and one never knew what really transpired there. It is only now by coming across this film that the truth comes out and why the secrecy was kept for 45 years.

I watched the film with anticipation, which also brought back many memories. I accept that the film was dramatized, but I can assure you it was no fun being there.

Based on true events, this film is a shock to the system because what it reveals had been meticulously covered up for over 40 years. The film highlights one of the most important roles ever played by the Irish Defence Forces as United Nations peace keepers. All the more astonishing given the "battle virginity" and inexperience of the Irish troops, and the menacing threat and overwhelming numbers of hardened ex-Foreign Legion French and African mercenaries there to defend the interests of the powerful international mining companies. Superbly acted by a mainly unknown cast, the tension mounts from the moment the troops find themselves billeted in the uranium rich mining outpost of Jadotville, Katanga in the province of Kinshasa at the southern rump of the fledgling Republic of The Congo.

In the background the Cold War is at its most dangerous as the Western, Eastern political blocs posture between the emerging United Nations trying to establish its credibility on the international stage. The civil war in this strategically important supplier to the nuclear armaments race is at its height, and an Irish diplomat, Conor Cruise O'Brien (Mark Strong) is sent to Katanga to handle the situation on behalf of the UN. It is impossible to fathom how the Irish commandant (Jamie Dornan) in charge on the ground can be expected to keep the peace and hold the area assigned to the poorly equipped Irish troops. While tension mounts locally, high stakes and political posturing take place on the world stage, stretching the ubiquitous tension even further. I'm still pinching myself with the realisation that all this happened within my lifetime and never I knew a thing about it until viewing this spell-binding, tension filled action drama. This massively impacting film would be well worth seeing again, if only to focus next time on the drama itself without the distraction or initial shock of the unfolding historical events so impressively portrayed.