GFF 2010: The Silent Army

 

It’s easy to be cynical about millionaire rock stars instructing us to give what little we have to the poor in Africa, knowing that said celebrities make enough in a week to save the entire impoverished village they’ve just visited on camera. Just be thankful, then, that Bono has never teamed with War Child to make a promotional film in which he plays the white knight attempting to convince a vicious rebel leader to free his child soldiers. For the Dutch, that’s exactly what The Silent Army is, featuring as it does pop singer and charity ambassador Borsato in the lead role, which may explain its hostile domestic reception and the director’s decision to re-assemble the entire film for international release. Borsato is wooden, and the script is riddled with contrivances and nonsensical plot turns. It’s certainly no Johnny Mad Dog, (it’s not even Blood Diamond), but it does commendably avoid Hollywood histrionics, and includes powerful scenes especially those which focus on the child rebels.