THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE (2016)

RATING: 7.4/10✅

Action/Drama/Biography

The film opens with the assassination 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 Hammarskjöld assigns Conor Cruise O'Brien to head up a UN peacekeeping mission. Privately, Hammarskjöld tells O'Brien that the Katanga crisis could potentially trigger World War III and orders the Irish diplomat to take offensive action.

THE FUTURE OF PORTABLE CINEMA

Details:

Directed by: Richie Smyth

Produced by: Alan Moloney, Ruth Coady, Johanna Hogan, Justin Moore-Lewy

Written by: Kevin Brodbin

Starring: Jamie Dornan, Mark Strong, Mikael Persbrandt, Jason O'Mara, Danny Sapani, Michael McElhatton, Guillaume Canet

Music by: Joseph Trapanese

Cinematography: Nikolaus Summerer

Edited by: Alex Mackie

Distributed by: Netflix

Release Date: July 10, 2016 (Galway Film Festival) September 19, 2016 (Ireland) October 7, 2016 (Worldwide)

Running Time: 108 minutes

Country: Ireland, South Africa

Language: English, Irish, French, German

Production

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

The actors 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."

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."