Malbatt Movie Synopsis: Bakara Mission, Adaptation of the True Story of the Black Hawk Down Incident

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Actually, don't expect too much from director Adrian Teh's latest movie, Malbatt: The Bakara Mission.

But after watching the 130-minute movie, praise should be given to the production because at least the purpose of the work was achieved. Adapted from a true story involving the prowess of the 19th Royal Malay Warrior Regiment (RAMD) Mechanics of the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt), the movie which cost RM20 million to make also involved the use of computer-generated effects (CGI). Telling the story of the rescue mission of more than 70 US soldiers trapped in Bakara market, Mogadishu, Somalia, the audience did not have to wait long to witness some tense scenes that made it physically difficult to 'sit still' in the audience.

In the first 10 minutes of the movie, the rescue of a group of journalists held hostage by insurgents is shown with a shootout scene between Somali militants and members of the national army. Unlike the narrative of the 2001 Hollywood version of Black Hawk Down, which did not show the true reality of the country's 'heroes' who were willing to risk their lives to save the US military, Malbatt contains its own DNA.

In terms of storytelling, Malbatt is not too sloppy and the plot is organized according to scenes to make it easier for the audience to understand the story.

'Run' Focus

However, the author's cinematic focus is slightly disturbed when too many unnecessary scenes are shown in the movie. Actually, it is not wrong to insert some funny scenes of Shaheizy Sam who plays the role of LKPL Ramlee.

Perhaps the appearance of some 'naughty' scenes is intended to keep the audience from getting too bored, but for the author personally, it is time for a patriotic story to be combined with a serious 'mood'.

However, praise should be given to Sam when he managed to tear the audience's emotions during the rescue mission scene. The 'crazy' character that was highlighted at the beginning of the movie, turned into a 'teary' character full of emotions and heart palpitations.

One more thing, it was awkward to see the way each actor communicated because they felt something was wrong. It was a bit of a turn-off. Also, the war action that features shooting scenes is actually a little emotionally unsettling. The CGI elements could have 'made sense' such as the sound of gunshots or muzzle flash explosions, rocket-propelled grenades and also some other explosion effects.

Interestingly, the translations of other characters like Major Adnan played by Bront Palarae and Lieutenant Ismail (Hairul Azreen) do not disappoint and are done as beautifully as possible. Praise must always go to Malbatt: Bakara Mission for showing the true reality of the events that happened more than 20 years ago. It's not wrong to be an Independence Day pick!