I had never heard of The Siege of Jadotville before watching this film.
Its based on a remarkable story of courage of a small group of Irish UN troops who come under attack from a much larger contingent of mixed tribal, coup based government, settler and mercenary forces in the Congo.
The courage demonstrated by the Irish soldiers and their determination to do their job is overshadowed by the political machinations of the UN and the Irish government. The fear, on the part of the latter, of looking incompetent, leads to the soldiers becoming the fall guys, for a situation they did not create and could not, ultimately control. All this, in spite of their heroic efforts.
Whats really surprising is the quality of this production. Its an exceptional film on so many levels. Its reasonably candid, in its appraisal of the situation that existed at the time. Its capably directed, scripted and acted as well, with a very strong cast.
The action scenes that run the length of this film are quite simply, incredible. This film is never, ever boring but what really astounded me is the casualties inflicted by the Irish soldiers with not one of their men lost. Its a testament too, to the ability and insight shown by their commanding officer.
I'm not a huge war film fan so for me to give what amounts to a war film, a 10 out of 10, really is saying something. Take a look, you wont be disappointed.
