A movie that hits close to home

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2011)

The greatest irony of this film is how similar it is to our "war on terrorism." If you think of the french as Americans and the Algiers as the citizens of Iraq, one can't help but to realize that we're doing the exact same thing as the French and that the terrorism being brought upon our soldiers is nothing more than retaliation from a people that refused to be conquered. If Bush had watched this movie from beginning to end, he might have revised his invasion of Iraq. This film does a brilliant job of telling us what happens when you try to dominate people. The Battle of Algiers doesn't favor either side in the film, as both are doing some deplorable things, but the message that reached me in the end was that people can't be conquered. The film doesn't shy away from its realism as it confronts the conflict with brutal honesty. None can say that either side is truly good, when you see the evils they both commit, but you can at least realize that there's a reason for every action and to not label things as good or evil. The movie is an intense experience that will make you question what's right and wrong.