15 Minutes of War

A solid co-production between France and Belgium based on the real-life event of a bus hijacking by Somalis. I can usually rely on films from these regions, and the French filmmakers didn’t disappoint here. I was pleased to see Olga Kurylenko, though she didn’t have much room to showcase her acting skills (she didn’t have much screen time). The storyline featuring the GIGN snipers was much more engaging; it was nice to see each character from this unit portrayed with a slightly different style (you have the tough guy, the quieter one, the joker, etc.). The ending is adrenaline-packed, and I don’t recall many films with so many headshots; it also taps into emotions. It works, though I’m a bit disappointed that the creators adjusted a lot of the real information to fit their narrative. If you don’t research the real events, it’s definitely a watchable film. For me, 6.5/10. (08/23/2021)

A film based on real events. A bus full of children is hijacked by Somali terrorists just outside the Somali border and a French special unit is sent to the scene to resolve the situation. The first hour is slower and offers a couple of moments we've seen before, but the last half hour breaks down into a solid action-packed carnage full of headshots and some nice sniper shots. Definitely decent and the beautiful Olga Kurylenko is always a delight. 65% (11/07/2019)