Warriors (1999 TV series)

Warriors is a British television drama serial, written by Leigh Jackson, produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark and directed by Peter Kosminsky.

[4] The film emphasises the contradictions of the mandate of the peacekeepers, and the psychological trauma that they sustain while being forced to observe atrocities perpetrated against civilians without being able to intervene, and being subject to deliberate provocations against which they are unable to retaliate.

Lieutenant Loughry is informed by Major Stone over the phone, and is forced to postpone his forthcoming wedding, much to the anger of his fiancée, Emma.

The groom, spotting Skeet dancing with his fiancée, Cheryl, attempts to interject, only for James to drag him out effortlessly before warning him to not cause trouble.

While standing guard at night, two soldiers hear screaming, followed by a gunshot, seemingly able to witness whatever has just taken place yet unable to intervene.

The vehicle jerks to a sudden stop as Hookway brews tea inside the passenger compartment with the boiling vessel, scalding himself.

The rest of Three-Zero are able to extract Skeet from his seat as a gun battle rages around them, but he is seemingly already dead by the time reinforcements arrive.

Langrubber's negotiations result in the Serbians demanding to check IDs of the soldiers, with Sochanik being held up due to his Polish surname.

In the morning, they are allowed to cross, but only with two Land Rovers, a single Warrior, and one truck, in order to save the most seriously wounded over the course of 12 hours.

Sochanik reveals to Aida, the interpreter accompanying them, that his mother is in fact Serbian, and that he speaks the language, his parents having met after his Polish father was sent as forced labour to build a concentration camp in the area.

The next morning, while James is shaving in an exaggerated manner for the amusement of several children, the Serbs resume their bombardment, killing many and causing immense panic, while claiming to the UN forces still held at the bridge that the Muslims are instead shelling themselves.

Captain Gurney orders all remaining troops back on board the Warriors so that they can withdraw, whilst James and Sochanik are occupied helping wounded civilians.

When they do not reboard, Gurney orders his driver to exit the area at speed, abandoning James, Sochanik, and Loughrey, along with other soldiers, much to the protests of Corporal Sprague.

Their commander relents, stating that she will attempt to reach Srebrenica, their ultimate fate uncertain, with Gurney visibly distressed by what he has been forced to do.

While stopping at fresh roadside graves, Almira tells Feeley that Naser will not leave the area no matter how bad it gets, as he is too proud.

Cars bearing Croatian flags then drive past, with groups of soldiers getting out and terrorising two elderly civilians, in full view of Feeley.

They execute the civilians' dog, then begin looting, Feeley instructing Almira to drive off if anything happens before retrieving his rifle and going to intervene.

Feeley asks if Dario Kordić authorised this mission, with the commander refusing to give an answer and instead immediately abandoning the looting, evidently angered.

Loughrey investigates the house he spent the previous day in, finding its inhabitants charred to skeletons after being burnt alive in the basement.

He attempts to force his way in, angered that the residents sat and watched while their neighbours were burnt alive, before suffering a breakdown in front of his unit.

He struggles to talk to Emma over the phone afterwards, as she tries to discuss mundane things, and is unable to understand his euphemisms for the horrible work they do.

During the next patrol, the UN forces see armed men methodically advancing down streets in Vitez, busting in windows, throwing explosives and firing machine guns inside.

The British soldiers encounter dozens of civilians crowded into a small building, and begin evacuating them, with Feeley stating his desire not to return to put them in body bags.

Feeley returns to Almira, and has her and Hajra pack bags for several days whilst artillery explodes in the background, bringing them to the military base.

Engel states that even the children's bodies were dismembered, before derisively snorting when the lawyer mentions he received a medal for his efforts.

James, at a supermarket, tells a small child that is crying due to their mother not being able to afford a toy that they should be grateful to still have their arms and legs, causing a scene that his grandmother has to take him away from.

James rejects this, telling both the father and Sandra that they left people to die, before smashing up a bus stop in anger.

Loughry experiences a PTSD flashback while mowing the garden, destroying part of it: when the heavily pregnant Emma attempts to stop him, he hits her.

At a cafe, James describes to Feeley a recurring dream of walking on dead bodies, and how he can no longer defrost chicken as the smell and feel reminds him of his experience.

Sitting on the bed, scenes from his time in Yugoslavia flash before him, as he puts the pistol to his head, only being stopped by the sudden arrival of two of his fellow soldiers who hug him as he cries.