An Ungentlemanly Act

So I give it 10 stars - as I write, rated 7.2 from 224 votes - this says it all.

If you have found your way here, and are thinking of watching this film, then don't think twice, regardless of your nationality (including Argentinian/Spanish/South American), this is a great film.

You can watch it with anyone from around 11 years old upwards - even with your granny, and everybody will enjoy the fully immersive experience, that introduces you to, and embeds you in....

... another way of living your life. A strange, yet not strange, life of Britishness in the deep South Atlantic. (so much so that afterwards, many Argentine soldiers talked of the culture shock of fighting for a land that they thought was Argentina, but possessed nothing of Argentina).

But this is NO 'slow build up to ten minutes of action'. 'Action' is pregnant in the air; it comes thick and fast, and the birth isn't easy.

Death is not pleasant at the best of times.... but when it's slow, and just a few feet away from you... yet somehow 'understandable', almost 'normal' (somebody to avoid as you dash for cover... yet not notice because you're dashing for cover).

History itself dealt the perfect cards for this movie, with the threads of island life portrayed in parallel to the bombshell 'last minute knowledge' that an invading force was just a few hours away....

... and the fight was going to be deadly.

You can believe the almost incomprehensible scenario of a foreign power 'actually invading British territory in 1982'.

The shock of this is temporarily diminished, due to the island's size and location (though those thoughts are quickly cast aside by the real life protocols mixed with real life 'tea and cakes'.)

How would the Governor react? The Royal Marines? The population?

We immediately learn the answer to those questions.

The tension ramps up, and the viewer is carried on a wave that is most definitely going to crash.

Everybody knows the conclusion to the Falklands war... but we don't know how this story will end.

Engrossing, intimate, comical, enlightening, violent, sad, joyous, gritty. This movie has it all in spades (along with a pre-fight speech that is all the more awesome by the fact that it was actually delivered to the troops).

At the end (in the wrap)... well... look into the eyes of Major Mike Norman (Bob Peck)... what horrors did he see, when he went back, to re-take the Falklands.

After watching this film.... don't delay.... make sure you watch 'The Falklands Play' to discover what was happening in London at the same time.

Enjoy and reflect.

I was still a school when the invasion occurred and I recall watching this movie when it came out and was keen to watch it again once I subscribed to BritBox. Its as good as I remember and worth watching as it depicts how the conflict started and forms part of our history. It feels accurate although the humour is perhaps a little outdated, and the acting is good on both sides. It's amazing how few people died in the initial invasion but of course what followed was a different story altogether.

Politically the issue is still contested by Argentina, but hopefully we won't see a repeat anytime..

User - "dinoangeloni" - I have this on DVD - leave a message if you still interested in owning it (20 years later).

A recreation of the first 36 hours of the Falklands conflict. Bob Peck plays Major Mike Norman, who has only recently arrived on the island to take over from Major Noot. Ian Richardson is Governor Sir Rex Hunt, who has only 70 Royal Marines to see off the entire Argentinian invasion fleet. Amid the confusion, several of the islanders simply go about their daily business; one lady offers the Marines tea over her garden fence.

A must see. A normal movie based on as we all know a true story. It's a human story, not like most movies seem to be nowadays all about the ridiculous unrealistic exploding car turning machine gun fire nobody killing action. It's about life how it was and how the locals experienced the events taking place. The story line as pictured says it all really. Having been to the Falklands numerous times it's easy to recognize the town, the buildings, the way the people just are, how British they are and proud of it. The movie has besides some well filmed action, where even the proudest and bravest sh.. in their pants of fear, also a lot of humor and just real life stories in it. The tension of the few days the movie covers is very well depicted, you feel one with the characters, you feel like if you were there at the time. And, it's the Falkland Islands, not the M....... as the Argentinians keep trying to make us say. The history of who would have the rights to these islands point to many different directions, but not to Argentina.

This was a very well made TV movie about the Falklands War. Up until that time, the war was depicted in very negative and anti-British terms with efforts like "Sink The Belgrano" (the British as war-mongers) and "Tumbledown" (the British army treats its men with contempt). This is a more balanced effort, and is all the better for it. The Falkland Islands and its people are depicted as a quaint, small town British community, almost like a corner of Somerset or Yorkshire. They live a life that almost embodies an earlier, stereotypical 1950's way far removed from cosmopolitan London. The theme of the film is that of violation. When the Argentinians threaten to invade, the locals close ranks and prepare for the worst; even though they're not sure what that will entail. The Royal Marines, professional to the last, won't give in that easily; they don't want their honour violated. The DJ refuses to have his station violated, the defenders of Government house don't even want the vegetable patch violated. The Argentinians are not the focus of the story and their point of view isn't really delved into; suffice to say General Mendoza comes across as a reasonable person, but a few of his officers are shown as brutal thugs who can't wait to impose their ways on the islanders.

The film came out when anti-Thatcher bias in the British media was high, and it's not an anti-Thatcher piece at all. It goes a little into the British seeming to reduce their commitment to the islands at the beginning, but the impression I was left with was that the islanders were absolutely horrified to be taken over by Argentina. It pits the olde-worlde British village life against the Banana Republic army boot. The acting is first rate (have Ian Richardson or the late lamented Bob Peck ever put in a bad performance?) and the production values are very good.