Review: Warriors (1999)

Director: Peter Kosminksky | 175 minutes | drama, war | Actors: Matthew Macfadyen, Damian Lewis, Cal Macaninch, Ioan Gruffudd, Darren Morfitt, Shaun Dooley, Tom Ward, Sheyla Shehovich, Jodhi May, Branka Katic, Carsten Voigt, Simon Shepherd, Ifan Meredith, Predrag Bjelac, Elizabeth Lovelady, Will Adamsdale, Miki Avdic, Izudin Bajrovic, Amina Begovic, Enis Beslagic, Heather Bleasdale, Sophie Bleasdale, Zen David Bojic, Tony Broughton, Eithne Browne, Jan Cajzl, Wayne Cater, Steve Chaplin, Gregory Chisholm, Deirdre Doone, Alena Filipovic Ian, Nives Frenjo, Ian Gain, Ina Gogalova, Melani Gutteridge, David Hart, Hana Kovacevic, Curt Kreimer, Lana Likic, Suzanne Maddock, Vincent Maguire, Linzi Matthews, Fiona Mollison, Zaim Muzaferija, Christopher Naylor, Nenad Ognjenovic, Ryan Philpott, Joanne Reilly, Joe Renton, Aleksander Seksan, Jasmina Sijercic, Mirna Silajdzic, Mirsad Tuka, Pauline Yates

“Warriors” is a poignant and impressive film. A film about powerlessness. The powerlessness of the participants in the UN mission in Bosnia. Their frustrations, despair, anger and fear. And their guilt, later. The film is so poignant and realistic because Kosminsky shows the course of the UN mission and its impact from the personal perspective of four British soldiers: Lieutenant John Feeley (Ioan Gruffudd), Private Alan James (Matthew Macfadyen), Lieutenant Neil Loughry (Damian Lewis) and Sergeant Andre Sochanik (Cal Macaninch).

At the beginning of the film, Kosminski gives viewers a glimpse of their lives before they leave for Bosnia. For example, viewers are already familiar with the main characters and their personal circumstances when they arrive in Bosnia. In Bosnia it becomes painfully clear that the military can only observe and nothing but that. Providing assistance to civilians, evacuating them or otherwise protecting them against the atrocities of the civilian armies is, after all, contrary to the impartiality of the UN and therefore prohibited. Forcibly leaving men, women and children behind in the knowledge that they are unlikely to survive leads to intense feelings of helplessness and frustration among the military.

The horrific events in Bosnia leave their traces behind, causing the main characters to have the greatest difficulty resuming their old life when they return to England six months later. They no longer feel at home in their former environment, suffer from post-traumic stress disorders that keep their memories forced on them. They encounter a lack of understanding of the outside world, which has no idea of ​​the conditions in Bosnia and sees the Bosnia-goers as heroes, while they feel anything but heroes and suffer from their feelings of guilt. “Warriors” is an exceptionally good and compelling film, in which Ioan Gruffudd and Damian Lewis act particularly well. Unfortunately, the film is also exceptionally topical.