The Siege Of Jadotville Review

[Ronald]

Directedby Richie Smyth and written by Kevin Brodbin, The Siege of Jadotville is a gripping true story of incredible bravery against impossible odds, as it thrillingly depicts the 1961 siege of a 150-strong Irish UN battalion under Commander Patrick Quinlan (Jamie Dornan) by 3,000 Congolese troops led by French and Belgian mercenaries working for mining companies.

I was especially excited for my family to have been invited to attend the movie screening too as my grandfather, Malachy McMahon, was Judge Advocate General for the United Nations at the time and, like Pat Quinlan, was also a Commander in the Irish Army who was posted for a second tour to Congo until he died on 28th September 1963 at Lopoldville (renamed Kinshasa in 1966). -texture-packs/. He was the last member of the Defence Forces to die in the Congo.

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The Siege of Jadotville is a 2016 action-war film directed by Richie Smyth[2] and written by Kevin Brodbin. An Irish-South African production, the film is based on Declan Power's book, The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army's Forgotten Battle (2005), about an Irish Army unit's role in the titular Siege of Jadotville during the United Nations Operation in the Congo in September 1961,[3] part of the Congo Crisis that stretched from 1960 to 1965.

First screened at the 2016 Galway Film Festival,[4] the film received a limited cinema distribution in Ireland in September 2016.[5] It had simultaneous worldwide distribution on Netflix and in a number of US iPic Theaters during October 2016.[6][7] It won three Irish Film & Television Awards, including Best Director.

The film opens with the execution of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba and the outbreak of civil war. As the mineral rich State of Katanga secedes under the leadership of Moise Tshombe, United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjld assigns Conor Cruise O'Brien to head up a UN peacekeeping mission. Privately, Hammarskjld tells O'Brien that the Katanga crisis could potentially trigger World War III and orders the Irish diplomat to take offensive action.

Meanwhile, Irish Army Commandant Pat Quinlan commands an infantry company of Irish peacekeepers who arrive at the UN compound near Jadotville. After examining the compound, Quinlan decides that it is wide open to attack and orders his men to dig trenches and defensive fighting positions.

While buying food in the nearest town, Quinlan meets French mercenary Rene Faulques, who has been hired by the mining companies allied to Tshombe's government. Afterwards, he visits the estate of a Belgian colonist, Madam LaFongagne, who tells him that Jadotville contains the world's richest uranium deposits.

Meanwhile, O'Brien orders UN forces to launch an attack against Government buildings held by the Katangese in Elizabethville. While Indian peacekeepers are attempting to seize the city's radio station, 30 unarmed Katangese radio operators and employees are killed by gunfire and grenades. O'Brien orders the incident to be swept under the rug.

In retaliation, Faulques receives orders to attack Jadotville. Katangese forces and mercenaries under Faulques' command attack and besiege the Irish. During a brief ceasefire, Faulques vainly demands Quinlan's surrender.

Quinlan refuses, and his company is attacked repeatedly in separate waves by the Katangese and mercenary forces. They kill a total of 300 enemy soldiers, and wound 1,000 enemy soldiers, with zero deaths and only 16 wounded for the Irish. Irish, Swedish and Indian UN peacekeepers attempt to reinforce "A" Company but are repelled by separatists. An effort to supply water and evacuate the wounded troops by helicopter fails as separatists shoot down the helicopter.

After numerous extended attack waves, the Irish company is forced to surrender to Faulques's troops after running out of ammunition, food, and drinking water. They are held in a Katangese prison for about a month, then are freed in a prisoner exchange deal and allowed to go home. After arriving home, Quinlan is informed by General McEntee that "A" Company's surrender causes shame to the UN and the higher ups want to bury the truth of the siege for political reasons. Only in 2005 did a full review of the siege clear the soldiers' reputations.

The film is based on Declan Power's non-fiction book, The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army's Forgotten Battle (2005).[8][9] It covers the Siege of Jadotville, a conflict involving Irish Army UN Peacekeepers and Katangese forces during the Congo Crisis in September 1961.[5][3]

The film was produced by an Irish production company, Parallel Films, for Netflix.[5][10] Described as an "Irish/South African co-production",[10] some of the cast were put through a training camp in South Africa before filming. "There's nothing worse than watching actors acting like they're in an action movie, pretending to run upstairs with guns and look serious," said director Ritchie Smythe. "The best way to get them to do that realistically is just to train them to be soldiers, so I did."[11] Filming occurred at locations in South Africa and in Ireland during 2015.[12][13]

Actor Jamie Dornan said the real veterans "didn't get the recognition they deserved. In fact the opposite. They got that term Jadotville Jacks. They have had to live with that and they appreciate any light that can be shone on their heroics."[14]

Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called it "a gripping drama".[16] Keith Uhlich of The Hollywood Reporter described the battlefield scenes as an "impressive spectacle", but said that the non-battle scenes were less so, and the conclusions "too rushed".[17] Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times rated the film 50%, describing it as: "A scrappy war flick with a fair amount of combat suspense but a whole lot of clichd dialogue".[18]

In an opinion piece published on livemint.com in April 2021, Swapna Kona Nayudu noted issues with how the role of Indian forces was represented in the movie, stating that while "Indians and the Congolese are shown supporting Irish and French forces [..] the truth was the other way around".[19]

In 1961, 155 Irish soldiers stood their ground on the battlefield against a 3,000-strong Kantangese army, backed by European mercenaries. Following the six-day siege and a month spent as prisoners-of-war, they suffered zero fatalities. If you have never heard of this extraordinary battle, you are not alone.

It took 40 long years before the veterans were finally cleared of misconduct. This came nine years too late for Commandant Pat Quinlan, who died in 1997. The tragedy of which makes The Siege of Jadotville an especially powerful story and an essential watch.

Director Richie Smyth stays respectful to the true events, honouring the unit behind the incredible combat. The result is a heart-pounding spectacle. Relentless assaults maintain the gravity of their predicament, even if the outcome is known. In this exchange of fire with no end in sight, the men impressively remain as stoic as they possibly can.

Such minimal context puts it below genre classics like Black Hawk Down or Saving Private Ryan, necessitating further reading of its richer source material. Still, it is understandable for the limelight to fall upon the Irish company, once so unfairly disavowed in an odious shame campaign. For these brave men, The Siege of Jadotville is a gripping tribute that their true heroics have always deserved. And it sure has been a long time coming.

I watched and reviewed this one a couple of weeks back and absolutely loved it. I am always surprised that there are so many historic events that one has never heard of before. This ofcourse being one of them. Truly unbelievable the things this company went through, and still being able to survive against all odds. These guys were true heroes that is for sure. This was a great review that I highly enjoyed reading. Always nice to see a movie that I myself loved as well, get such a well written post. Keep up the great work ?

I do remember someone writing about it just a while ago; that might have been yours! I absolutely agree on the forgotten stories, and am glad someone has brought these to the big screen. History is just so endlessly fascinating and compelling. Thanks much for the kind words, Michel! Always fantastic to read your reviews as well. ?

I'm Jade, a person who enjoys watching, reading, and crafting stories, and incidentally knows every line to Full Metal Jacket. I also write original fiction at Brimstone Tales. This is my personal blog comprising my unsolicited, unqualified opinions.

The film is the true story of an Irish UN batallion of 150 sent on a Peace Keeping mission to a small town in the Congo. The town was laid under siege by 3000 troops led by Belgian and French mercenaries and the Irish unit held them off for 5 full days before finally surrendering when they ran out of supplies and ammunition. There were zero fatalities on the Irish side.

The film was gripping, tense and very real yet told with small doses of humour to ease the tension. Sitting in the cinema watching this film together with many of the soldiers who took part in this event was an experience. The tension and emotion in the room was just huge. The crowd rose for a much deserved standing ovation at the end of the film.

Afterwards there was a Q and A session delivered by Dave Fanning as only he knows how. The panel consisted of director Richie Smyth, screen writer Kevin Brodbin, lead actor Jamie Dornan and producer Alan Moloney. Following the Q and A, all the soldiers present were invited down to the front, and there was much applause, squeals of appreciation and another standing ovation. What a special event to be part of.

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