Demons of War

This movie has a lot going for it. From a technical aspect the cinematography is top-notch, the actors are among Poland's best, (including the great Boguslaw Linda in the lead role) and the plot is fast paced and entertaining. The themes of this movie lend themselves to a lot of thinking about the role of UN Peacekeeping Forces.

During the hight of the Bosnian War, Poland occupied fourth place in the rankings of contributers of military contingents in Yugoslavia even though they had not yet been admitted as a member of NATO. Peacekeeping troops were very limited on what they were allowed to do even when they found themselves or civilians in dangerously grave situations. At the time this movie was made they were often unarmed. It is important to point out that at the time of this film's release, the war in Yugoslavia was reaching a point of conflict not seen in Europe since the Second World War, and human rights violations including "ethnic cleansing" were reaching a level on par with genocide.

This movie revolves around a Major in the Polish Army who makes the decision to deliberately disobey UN policy in order to attempt the rescue of fellow Polish soldiers. This decision puts his men in harms way, and some of them are killed because of his decision. However, his decision to violate UN policy allows him to save the live's of an entire village of people, and isn't that one reason why Peacekeeping troops should be employed? In the end the bad guys lose. Winning wasn't easy, nor was it achieved without sacrifice. Success primarily came about because someone decided to get tough. To me, the movie gave a clear message that the UN needed to take more of a "get tough" policy regarding the Bosnian Crisis, especially in the matter of how much force can be used to protect civilians.

It is interesting to note several events that happened within a year of this films release. One, Poland was admitted as a member of NATO. Two, the UN changed their policies and rules of engagement governing the use of force allowing peacekeepers "to use all necessary means" to protect civilians in their immediate vicinity and prevent violence against UN staff and personnel. Third, the US and NATO intervened with a more forceful approach that caused Yugoslavia to cease it's conflict.

This is one of the few movies I have seen that dealt with current (current when the film was made) military issues not made in the USA. I found it fascinating to see a film that expressed viewpoints regarding peacekeeping from another country.Granted, it may not compare to some of Hollywood's military blockbusters, but this is a well-made thought-provoking movie. I wish I had discovered it years ago. I highly recommend it.

A great movie if you're prepared to look a bit deeper. It shows a group of soldiers who never participated in real combat are sent to Bosnia as peacekeepers. Arguably, they are civilians in uniforms. Faced with a real enemy, they are forced to handle their fears and endure the shock of shooting at people and being hurt themselves. The finale makes you think whether fighting against the 'bad guys' makes any sense anyway - what difference does it make? The 'good guys' get hurt in the process too.

I like this movie very much. From the very first watch I fell in love with this excellent and very serious work. The theme - civil war in the former Yugoslavia - is one of my favorite. There are so many bad American films where the Serbs are always mean bloody killers, where brave US soldiers save the poor civilians, that I am tired of them. This film is far better one. There are no "good" or "bad" Serbs here, instead, there is a gang of ferocious bandits who rape and kill everybody around. The squad of Polish UN Peacekeepers comes to the mountains to save the fallen helicopter crew. Here, we see the Polish film stars Boguslaw Linda, Zbiegniew Zamachowski, among others. The squad faces many terrible battles, several soldiers are killed in action, and the scene of devastating Gypsy village is horrible realistic. Gloomy, dark music adds to it very much. I must admit that the main idea is very good - there is no winner in any civil war. This blood-chilling portrait of brotherly killing is so astonishingly true to life that you simply feel no other thing but a deep dull pain at heart. I do recommend this excellent film to those who are interested in the Balkan War history.

A group of Polish troops led by Major Keller leave their base, against their superiors' commands, in order to help their colleagues from another unit. I liked the film - the action is swift and the characters' portraits are realistic. The events taking place are quite truthful: if someone gets shot he screams and bleeds, if his wound is fatal, he does not talk for another hour, but he dies almost instantly, as it usually happens in real life... Although it is not a masterpiece, it CAN still provide some entertainment : ) Apart from being an action movie, it also reveals the intricate peace-keepers'-specific dilemmas. All in all it is worth seeing.

The ONLY good thing about this movie is Miroslaw Baka (Cichy). It's a wonder that Boguslaw Linda (Keller) gets such a high percentage of leading roles in Polish movies every year. It's also sad how Polish movies are desperately trying to imitate American films, now that model American films for certain genres have become more available to Polish viewers in the 1990s. This awful picture is a combination of a rogue, not-by-the-book military officer out to set the world right and nonsensical international espionage. And they managed to drag poor Goya into the title! P.S. See Miroslaw Baka in Krzysztof Kieslowski's *Krotki film o zabijaniu* (*A Short Film about Killing*).