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Silverton Siege takes a look at the real-life Seahorse sabotage mission, in Pretoria, South Africa in 1980.
The plan for the ‘Silverton Trio’ is that when they were larger in number, they’d sabotage strategic key points in the capital, with no civilian casualties, such as blowing up fuel tanks. However, they get interrupted as the cops move in and take some of them down, led by Arnold Vosloo as Johan Langerman.
Initially, we see the main three, two men and a woman – Khumalo (Thabo Rametsi), Terra (Noxolo Dlamini) and Aldo (Stefan Erasmus) – taking control of the bank, and insisting it’s not a robbery, before cutting back to spend 15-20 minutes showing what led to this.
Tensions are high, not least from Aldo, who’s frustrated because he has a pregnant wife at home, but as they’re not going to rob the place, this turns into a hostage situation, until their specific demands are met, which include the freeing of Nelson Mandela. Given that this is 1980, and he wasn’t released until 1990, how do you think it’ll go? And can they negotiate their freedom?
Well, in what’s almost a real-time thriller, the trio want a helicopter and safe passage to a location of their choosing, so I’m sure this will go well…
Along the way, black American Cornelius Washington (Shane Wellington) tries to cosy up to Khumalo so he can leave early, while bank teller Christine (Elani Dekker) also has a large part to play in the proceedings, and feels responsible for the hostages, because she works there.
Silverton Siege should lead to a suspense-filled movie, but in the telling, the largely one-location movie does rather drone on and I was getting rather bored, and just wanting it to finish.
As an aside, some language is in Afrikaans, along with smaller elements in several other languages (the subtitles tell you which ones), and the three are representing the original Silverton Trio, which were three man: Wilfred Madela, Humphrey Makhubu and Stephen Mafoko.
Silverton Siege is on Netflix now, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Check out the trailer below:
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 100 minutes
Release date: April 27th 2022
Studio: Netflix
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Score: 3/10
Director: Mandlakayise Walter Dube
Producers: Walter Ayres, Mandlakayise Walter Dube
Screenplay: Sabelo Mgidi
Music: Rashid Lanie
Cast:
Johan Langerman: Arnold Vosloo
Calvin Khumalo: Thabo Rametsi
Mbali Terra Mabunda: Noxolo Dlamini
Aldo Erasmus: Stefan Erasmus
Christine: Elani Dekker
Cornelius Washington: Shane Wellington
Rachel Paige: Michelle Mosalakae
Madeleine: Sarah Kozlowski
Sechaba: Tumisho Masha
Amanda: Mariska Denysschen
Hans: Justin Strydom
Sniper: Clayton Boyd
Schoeman: Deon Coetzee
Strydom: Jacques Gombault
Masego: Vincent Mahlape
Jane: Maureen Wells
Jannie: Keaton Ditchfield
Priest: Craig Jackson
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.