The Siege of Jadotville (2016)

Directed by Richie Smyth; produced by Kevin Brodbin, Alan Moloney, Ted Sarandos and Richie Smyth

In 1961, a battalion of the Irish Army is sent to the Congo to act as peacekeepers in that country’s confused and violent civil wars. One of the companies is stationed at Jadotville, a hamlet near a prosperous uranium mine. The mine’s profits are needed by the rebellious State of Katanga, which sends a mercenary-led brigade to take the site. For five days, the inexperienced Irishmen endure attacks by their enemies and abandonment by their friends.

The Congo was in a disastrous condition in the early 1960s. Belgium had done nothing in its colony to promote black natives into positions of responsibility. No black African in the Force Publique - the Congolese army - held a higher rank than sergeant. With no one of experience or expertise in control, and no sense of nationhood, the Congo collapsed into rival factions, rebellions and chaos. The central government, with minimal authority and no resources, asked the United Nations to stabilise the situation. This meant, in large part, coercing the break-away republic of Katanga back into the national fold. But Katanga was immensely mineral-rich, could afford a relatively large army commanded by veteran mercenaries, and was backed by rich mining companies and governments eager to control its wealth.

This is the background for The Siege of Jadotville, an exciting and well-made war movie. In any such action film, the battle scenes are those which largely determine its success or failure, and the scenes here are gripping. The siege comprises a number of assaults, attacks by aircraft and tense truces, adding to the suspense of the film.

The non-action scenes can be divided into two groups, those dealing with the soldiers before deployment and between gun-fights, and those showing the political posturing behind the scenes. The former are rather bland, with the usual scenes of farewell among families and the like. There is only so much a script can do with those. The writer wisely left most of the characterization of the soldiers to how they reacted to combat and the situation in which they found themselves.

The back-room politicking is, perhaps, little different than in some other movies, but the level of cynicism displayed - at least in the film - by both the high-ranking UN officials and those of the Irish Army may come as a surprise. Representing both the United States and Irish Army in what was both entities’ first war (the Korean conflict was essentially run by the U.S.), the company at Jadotville found itself the pawn in not just confusing operations but in perception and reputations. This element includes an interesting aspect in the drama.

As well, the mere fact that events in the Congo, and the fighting at Jadotville in particular, are almost unknown, even to historians, makes for greater suspense. Unlike most battles and wars, this one’s outcome will be largely a mystery to viewers.

The acting is uniformly good, Ireland sharing with Britain the apparent ability to find competent actors without effort. Jamie Dornan heads a cast that is probably anonymous to most North American audiences, the only recognisable name being Mark Strong, who plays diplomatist Conor Cruise O’Brien, and not in the most flattering way.

Though it has flaws - the dialogue is unmemorable and, among the soldiers, uninteresting, and the accents make some of it unintelligible - at 108 minutes, The Siege of Jadotville movies along swiftly, and any slow moments are soon finished. This is an entertaining action flick, with a moderate dose of new history for most people.