O Cerco de Jadotville

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.

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.

What a movie, came out of nowhere and was sitting on my list for a long time before i downloaded for a flight due to lack of anything else to watch. Seems Netflix has a promising future in the movie department now too.

Draws understandable comparisons with Zulu, but the real shame is behind the true story here and the reason why it's not a widely known about event.

Ignoring the real events (which were incredible and worth further research) the movie really stands on its own as a thoroughly entertaining war film. Tensions builds nicely and results in a whole load of impressive action sequences.

Credit to Dornan who is unfortunately going to be more known for the whole 50 shades nonsense, hopefully once he gets past that he wont be held back on more decent roles.

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.

I never heard of this battle before, and I'm a Belgian. Apparently this combat story has been held secret from us, or maybe I just skipped a lesson when they teached us that historical fact, that's also possible. Nevertheless, it doesn't really matter, as once again it's proven that war is fought by people that massacre each other but don't know each other, commanded and benefited by people that know each other but that don't fight each other. It's an interesting story, certainly entertaining, even for people that are not into war movies. A poignant story about courage, desperation and combat tactics. The cast was very good, with an excellent Jamie Dornan playing the main character Patrick Quinlan. Richie Smyth did a good job directing this hommage to those men that once came home as supposedly cowards only to be recognized as heroes fifty years later, typical again for the insanity of wars.