The Siege of Jadotville (2016)

Irish Commandant Pat Quinlan leads a stand off with troops against French and Belgian Mercenaries in the Congo during the early 1960s.

Director:

Richie Smyth

Writers:

Kevin Brodbin, Declan Power (based on the book by)

Stars:

Richard Lukunku, Danny Sapani, Andrew Stock

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Lukunku	...	Patrice Lumumba
Danny Sapani	...	Moise Tshombe
Andrew Stock	...	Man in a White Suit
Mark Strong	...	Conor Cruise O'Brien
Jamie Dornan	...	Patrick Quinlan
Fionn O'Shea	...	William Reidy
Sam Keeley	...	Bill (Sniper) Ready
Ronan Raftery	...	John Gorman
Mike Noble	...	Charles Cooley
Jason O'Mara	...	Jack Prendergast
Fiona Glascott	...	Carmel Quinlan
Melissa Haiden	...	Beautiful Nurse
Jordan Mifsud	...	John Donnelly
Conor Quinlan	...	Patrick Joyce
Charlie Kelly	...	Walter Hegarty

Storyline

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

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Plot Keywords:

congo | civil war | africa | 1960s | netflix | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Siege of Jadotville" is director Richie Smyth's first feature film. After getting his start as a fashion and advertising photographer, Smyth has become one of Ireland's most successful and respected commercial and music video directors, making videos for U2, The Verve, and Bon Jovi, among many others.

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Goofs

The United Nations seems to be located in a verdant rural setting with lush tropical vegetation. The real United Nations is situated on Manhattan Island in New York City with dense urban skyline on three sides and the broad East River and Long Island on the other; the city and/or the river should be visible in the background, and the landscaping should consist of hardier plants suited to the cold New York winters.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pat Quinlan: [narrating] I once heard a man say that, in Africa, the sun is like a furnace that either melts you or forges you.

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Soundtracks

What's Left of the Flag
Performed by Flogging Molly
Written by Dennis Casey, Matt Hensley (as Matthew Hensley), Dave King (as David King), Nathen Maxwell, Bridget Regan, Bob Schmidt (as Robert Schmidt), and George Schwindt
Published by Ballinaclash Music, Bames Music, MH-70 Music, Stronghold Tunes, Top Hit Songs Worldwide, 26F Music Publishing
Courtesy of Side One Dummy Records.

User Reviews

The fogginess of War

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.

Details

Country:

Ireland South Africa

Language:

English Irish French

Release Date:

7 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Siege of Jadotville

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parallel Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (ACES)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1