Warriors (1999)

This was by far the best made-for-TV movie I have ever seen.Totally politically (in)correct in its rightful criticism of the rules of engagement of the UN 'peacekeepers' mandate in the Bosnian war, this movie boldly goes on to depict the harsh reality of what the war was really like and what it was about. For somebody who has intimate first-hand knowledge of the happenings, of the people involved and of the land where it transpired, I cannot but be awed by the realism and truthfulness of this film. Everything has been done perfectly, right down to the local actors who are all faithfully who they claim to be, real Bosnians, speaking with their local colloquial accents, not just some second-hand stand-ins summoned from god knows where on the cheap, as is usually the case nowadays. Everything in this movie is outstanding, the Direction, the screenplay, the cinematography, the acting, etc.A very powerful movie, but definitely not for those squeamish politically correct souls who abound today and who believe that the world is a peaceful, wonderful place where there is no evil and where everybody loves each other. Highly recommended.

This film dramatisation tells a story about the lives of some British soldiers serving on a United Nations "peace-keeping" mission at the time of the dissolution of Yugoslavia.The tale is told from the perspective of British army officers and enlisted men who are well trained in the art of warfare, but are unfamiliar with, and frustrated by their "observer" role in the troubled region. The British soldiers are are forced to stand by and witness the murder of innocents at the hands of Serb and Croat militias while they themselves are constantly intimidated by these armed gangs who exploit the weakness and inertia of the United Nations to bully and hamper the British peace-keeping mission at every turn.This film leaves the viewer with a feeling of total disgust at the weakness of the United Nations and the British government for sending troops as peace-keeping observers who are forbidden to "shoot back" unless they consider their own lives are at risk. The Serb and Croat militias who are only too aware of the United Nations mandate, for the most part, only target and murder the innocent "ethnic minority" civilian population, thereby perpetuating the carnage.The good consciences of the soldiers are not left unaffected. After witnessing so much horror, they return to England suffering with severe emotional problems and post traumatic stress disorders. The soldiers' plight is compounded further by an unsympathetic British government and a public who have no concept of how bad the situation is, back in the former Yugoslav republic. The men are welcomed back as if they had just returned from a standard "tour of duty" abroad. They are patted on the back for a "job well done" and expected to simply integrate back into normal home life - with dire consequences for some of these men.This is a remarkable British film which has been shot in typical BBC documentary style. It is a sad and sobering thought that these horrific atrocities were committed within a supposedly, "civilized" European country, by Europeans, at the end of the twentieth century.Superb film-marking - very powerful, harrowing and thought-provoking.

A company of British soldiers are sent to Bosnia under the auspices of UNPROFOR , the United Nations Protection Force I`ve looked through this page and have been amazed to see the praise WARRIORS has received . I hated this teleplay down to the highly inaccurate points on screen . Yes Muslims were massacred and murdered in central Bosnia in 1993 as shown here , the only thing is that they weren`t murdered and massacred by Serbs , they were murdered and massacred by Croats ! WARRIORS would have you believe that the only people committing war crimes were Serbs. Did anyone remember Martin Bell`s BBC report from 1993 about the massacre in Amichi where scores of Bosnian Muslims woman and children amongst them were rounded up and burned alive ? It was Croats who were responsible for that atrocity and Croats themselves were the victims of Muslim war crimes in the region . Central Bosnia where the British UNPROFOR were based in Travnik , Gornji Vakuf , and Vitez is a region with very few Serbs with the ethnic composition being almost entirely Croat and Bosnian Muslim . It was the scene of the very bloody ( And now forgotten ) " Muslim - Croat war " of 1992 to 1994 . If you think I`m apologising for the Serbs I`m not , try and track down news reports at the time , go into a libary with a large archive and look through newspaper reports from 1992 to 1994 , read accounts like The Fall Of Yugoslavia by Mish Glenny , talk to British soldiers who were there and you`ll find out little of the crimes ( And they were crimes ) were done by Serbs though they were guilty of terrible crimes elsewhere in the region This annoyance is not only down to ignoring facts , it`s also down to director Peter Kosminsky trying to set some hidden agenda . When WARRIORS was broadcast Kosminsky was appearing on every current affairs show saying the role of British and Western forces should be used for humanitarian intervention . Britain and America bombed Serbia to stop Serbs murdering Muslims in Kosovo , Britain and America invaded Iraq to overthrow a murderous right wing secular Arab regime that was murdering Muslims in Southern Iraq . I wonder if Kosminsky was for both these interventions ? It should also be remembered Kosminsky made the anti war documentary THE FALKLANDS - THE UNTOLD STORY about a black and white conflict , so for him to make a pro interventionist drama about a deeply complex war is very hypocritical WARRIORS is only worth watching to see Damien Lewis and Ioan Gruffodd when they were both unknown actors

This film, about a group of British soldiers helping out for the UN in Bosnia in the early 90s, is a disturbing, powerful and superb piece of film making. Despite its long length, this film depicts the frustration and personal pain British troops faced while in Bosnia, witnessing mass deaths of civilians and being unable to give proper assistance because of war 'restrictions'. The atmosphere is bleak and often tense, with the audience sympathising with the frustrated troops after 'clearing' up human body remains. The aftermath and the pain the soldiers continue to feel after they get back to Britian is unsympathetic and superbly acted, especially from 'Band Of Brothers' star Damian Lewis and Matthew MacFadyen, and the scene when a soldier befriends a Bosnian civilian wearing a Manchester United shirt and has to hand him over to officials to be shot is one of the most powerful humanitarian war scenes in any film I have ever witnessed, with the Liverpool born soldier sinking to breaking point and bursting into tears. It is easy to see why people may not like this. The pace is slow from time to time. Perhaps it is a touchy subject, but its a shame more people in America will not have the chance to see it. They should. It is compulsive viewing. Harrowing and brilliant, Warriors will stay with you.8.5 out of 10