The Bombardment Movie Review: Brutal Realism About War on par with Breaker Morant.

This Danish Movie from 2021 was titled in its home country as The Shadow In My Eye. It is a devastating movie about a real event during World War II.

First, though, I have to say neither title does much for selling the movie. One thing I learned as an author is title is critical. I learned this the hard way with horrible titles on my early books such as Eyes of the Hammer and Dragon Sim-13.

The real event it’s based on is one I studied while in Special Forces: Operation Carthage. This was a mission where British fighter-bombers attacked Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen. It was a high-risk mission to try to take out a single building in the middle of a city. It was also a high-risk mission in terms of one of its stated missions: freeing resistance fighters held prisoner in the very top floor as a shield against the building being bombed. Another goal was, of course, to kill Germans and collaborators and destroy their records.

One wonders if the Resistance made this difficult decision to push for the mission because there was concern some of their fellows who were being tortured by the Gestapo would eventually break (everyone breaks) and give up names and key information and destroy their network? So, yes, fine if they escape, but also if they’re killed, they can’t talk.

That is the core of war. Brutal.

And this movie which establishes several characters moving toward the fateful attack, or bombardment, is up there with the classic Breaker Morant about how insane and capricious war is.

The vast of characters range from the pilot and navigator of a Mosquito plane that was critical in the attack. Which went horribly wrong. There is also a nun questioning her faith. A Danish collaborator working for their police. And three young children. And the latter is the awful part.

I don’t want to say any more. It is a very well-made movie with a very tight script. Well-acted. Particularly the children.

I highly recommend it, but don’t expect to walk away feeling uplifted. There is one bright, ironic spot at the end, but other than that, it clearly shows War is Hell.