Silverton Siege Review: An Effective Action Thriller
Three men from the African National Congress's uMkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) held up a bank in Silverton, Pretoria, in 1980. This occurred following a bungled attempt to destabilise south africa during the Apartheid era by sabotaging an oil refinery. The trio kidnapped 25 people and demanded Nelson Mandela's release. Silverton Siege, a "based on a true story" action-thriller, has reimagined the circumstances and added a dash of old-fashioned hollywood contrivances to the plot.
The trio of armed activists is changed in the Netflix adaptation of this story by South African filmmaker Mandla Dube and writers Sabelo Mgidi. Calvin (Thabo Rametsi), Aldo (Stefan Erasmus), and Terra are now two guys and a woman (Noxolo Dlamini). The trio seek to attack a power station as a protest against Apartheid, just as the events of the real narrative do. They hurry to a bank in search of a new strategy and begin making demands. One of them is the release of Nelson Mandela, as demanded by true activists. However, although some facts are correct, others are not.
The original narrative ends in disaster, although Dube's filming method here is to avoid going into detail about what transpired. Instead, he turns these people into characters, imbuing them with the spirit of the anti-apartheid movement. He's not condoning their acts, but rather offering background for a situation that even the performers in the film had to Google. Many people have contributed to the fight for human rights, particularly in South Africa's fight against apartheid. However, history is rarely written by the voiceless. Only a handful are prioritised because they can't be ignored; the others are historical footnotes.
Overall, the film is enjoyable to see, albeit a little longer than necessary. Although an hour and 40 minutes may not seem like much, the pacing detracts from what should have been a thrilling trip. The cast of the film does an excellent job of capturing the audience's attention and making them root for their respective characters. Dube's directing is undoubtedly the film's greatest distinguishing feature, embracing the techniques and tropes that make action-thrillers such gripping works of art.
The trio of armed activists is changed in the Netflix adaptation of this story by South African filmmaker Mandla Dube and writers Sabelo Mgidi. Calvin (Thabo Rametsi), Aldo (Stefan Erasmus), and Terra are now two guys and a woman (Noxolo Dlamini). The trio seek to attack a power station as a protest against Apartheid, just as the events of the real narrative do. They hurry to a bank in search of a new strategy and begin making demands. One of them is the release of Nelson Mandela, as demanded by true activists. However, although some facts are correct, others are not.
The original narrative ends in disaster, although Dube's filming method here is to avoid going into detail about what transpired. Instead, he turns these people into characters, imbuing them with the spirit of the anti-apartheid movement. He's not condoning their acts, but rather offering background for a situation that even the performers in the film had to Google. Many people have contributed to the fight for human rights, particularly in South Africa's fight against apartheid. However, history is rarely written by the voiceless. Only a handful are prioritised because they can't be ignored; the others are historical footnotes.
Overall, the film is enjoyable to see, albeit a little longer than necessary. Although an hour and 40 minutes may not seem like much, the pacing detracts from what should have been a thrilling trip. The cast of the film does an excellent job of capturing the audience's attention and making them root for their respective characters. Dube's directing is undoubtedly the film's greatest distinguishing feature, embracing the techniques and tropes that make action-thrillers such gripping works of art.