The Siege of Jadotville

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.

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.

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 have never reviewed a movie before, and I probably will never review another. I always go to IMDb to read reviews on a movie before I watch it, just to decide whether it's worth the 1.5-2 hours of my time.

I must say that I am a war movie buff, and have not seen a decent one since Saving Private Ryan and Heroes of Iwo Jima.

Put simply, this movie had me hooked from the first five minutes. The dialogue is fantastic, the narration is on point and the story line flows very well.

I was gripped to my seat as I watched this film, and I felt a deep connection with each and every soldier on screen. This might come out as a B grade movie, but I assure you it was A+ in my books. definitely worth the 2 hours and I will probably watch it again and again in future.

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.