• Summary: This 1965 film chronicles the Algerian people's struggle to overthrow the French Colonial Government in the mid-1950s.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. 100
    An extraordinary movie that ruffled many feathers when it first came out. Almost 40 years later, it retains the poignancy it delivered back then. Its message is not lost in our present state of affairs.
  2. Like all masterpieces, it speaks to later ages as powerfully and intelligently as to its own.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Powerful, gut wrenching, moving and biographical film. This film shows all aspects of an insurgency against a superior military force within an urban setting. Extremely relevant considering the Iraq War. The scenes involving the killing of innocents on both sides is simply gut wrenching. You see the true face of war. The film also shows involves crimes by both sides, French and Algerian, making no distinction between the two. The scene of the terrorist bombing of the cafe and its aftermath leaves the viewer no doubt that Pontecorvo views the deaths of innocents to be the same no matter what the nationality. The leadership of the insurgency is shown as well as the French paratrooper commander. This film is a must for those who want to truly understand guerrilla warfare in an urban setting and the tragedy of it all. The torture scenes are especially moving and will bring the viewer to tears. Best foreign film of all time. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. WaelS.
    10
    The best I ever saw at my house.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. PatC.
    9
    So immersing that one hardly notices as it shifts between being an action drama and a documentary. Told from the leftist perspective, it invites the viewer to form a political opinion, which is how these things always get started in the first place. But, as history, knowing what happened in Algeria is essential to understanding what is happening now. Blaming the French and wanting to exterminate terrorists have always been no-brainers, and the film almost condones both. The ending is tidy, but the implications are not, so one may find the show awesome and informative without clarifying one's moral compass. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 9 User Reviews

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