Unknown to most is the story of the 1961 post-Colonial siege at Jadotville in The Congo in which Irish battalion A-Company held off a five day attack by 3000 Katangese secessionists and mercenaries, and despite being out-manned and out-gunned, lost none of their men. The Republic of the Congo was newly formed and its rich seam of uranium, along with other minerals in the Katanga province, were the heart’s desire of many of the world’s super powers. On Moise Tshombe’s seizing control of the country, UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold called on Ireland’s Conor Cruise O’Brien to lead peace talks, while placing 150 Irish soldiers in the region as a UN peacekeeping force.
Lacking-in-field-experience but with a keen sense of observation and reading of people, not to mention being a strategist, Commandant Pat Quinlan leads the brave Irish lads. But what starts as a seemingly inconsequential “face-off” with a mercenary and French Legionnaire in a local pub, quickly leads to something more as Quinlan realizes “peacekeeping” is not going to be on the agenda. In anticipation of the feared inevitable, A-Company prepares for battle in their remote outpost. Although taken by surprise during Sunday mass when attacked by French and Belgian-led mercs, A-Company is ready for whatever comes their way. As the attacks build and ammunition and supplies run short, Quinlan’s calls for back-up from other UN forces fall on deaf ears but A-Company soldiers on. But for how long can they hold their ground?
Strength of performance comes from Mark Strong as Conor Cruise O’Brien while Jamie Dornan serves as the flip side of the emotional coin as Pat Quinlan. While a bad-looking wig on Strong initially takes one aback, the command in his voice and his emotional intensity and conviction drives his performance home. The real surprise though is Jamie Dornan. From where did all that commanding screen presence come? WOW! He is every bit the commander of his unit from not only a military standpoint, but a human standpoint. Not a spoiler given the real historical events, Dornan is heart-stopping as A-Company is at the end of the line and he calmly intones, “We’ve shot every bullet twice. . .I think we have no choice but to surrender.” An almost hushed whisper that bodes pride and also a tinge of embarrassment and sadness at the idea of surrender is both bittersweet and gut-wrenching. Important to note is that Smyth reached out to Dornan based on his performance in the tv series “The Fall”, tapping him for, and shooting JADOTVILLE, long before “50 Shades of Grey” thrust Dornan into the pop culture zeigeist.
Strong supporting performances are also found with Jason O’Mara as Sgt. Jack Prendergast, Mikael Persbrandt as UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, Danny Sapani as Moise Tshombe, Emmanuelle Seigner as Madame LaFontagne and Guillaume Canet as Rene Faulques.
The shortcoming of JADOTVILLE, however, is in the overall character development of the men of A-Company. We want to know these men. Why do they want to be a UN peacekeeper? Why do they want to go to The Congo? Who are they? Who are their loved ones? How is this brotherhood built and training developed that kept every single one of the Irishmen alive over the course of this five-day battle against hundreds? If there was every a collective David vs Goliath tale, this is it. The film cries for more personalization of each of the men – especially since so many are still alive today – as opposed to the clinicism of the characters. You want to know who they are. But at its beating heart, THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE is all about the battle.
Directed by Richie Smyth with script by Kevin Brodpin adapted from Declan Power’s book, this little slice of history, so long swept under the rug, comes to life with THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE. Smyth proves himself to be the perfect director for JADOTVILLE. Given his music video background, he knows how to pace, how to build energy and frenzy while imbuing emotion. Battle sequences here rival any from Spielberg or the most gifted war-embedded cameramen. Visual design and Alex Mackie’s editing are exceptionally strong in building tension as attacks become imminent. The line up of the Katangese mercenaries as they prepare to attack is powerfully designed and lensed with a widescreen feel thanks to cinematographer Nikolaus Summerer, so much so that one is immediately transported to Cy Endfield’s 1964 work “Zulu.” Sound design soars with equal attention given to the softest of dialogues or the minutest bullet piercing. Production values are high all the way around.
One of the biggest joys of the film is its South African location. Glorious lensing by Summerer – from the blue blue wide open skies to the greens of the South African foliage to the distinct brown of the dirt in surrounding sandbags and foxholes – is immersive. Interiors bode that silty smoky grain of the hot sun below the equator lending to a greenish tinge against ugly paint colors on walls. The result is rich with texture.
And there is no scrimping on the score by Joseph Trapanese. Appropriate and befitting the heat of battle balanced with an emotional pragmatism, Trapanese also infuses some beautiful lilting Irish tones that pay homage to A-Company.
A story buried for far too long, THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE is testament to the dignity and honor of the men of A-Company.
Directed by Richie Smyth
Written by Kevin Brodpin adapted from Declan Power’s “Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army’s Forgotten Battle”
Cast: Jamie Dornan, Mark Strong, Jason O’Mara, Mikael Persbrandt, Emmanuelle Seigner, Danny Sapani
