Arouses interest

Rating: Null/10 (14 June 2017)

The French have controlled Algeria since the 1800s, but things finally boil over in the 1950s and the French army has to be called in the quell the uprising of terrorism, led by the FLN (Front de Liberation Nationale). And yet the movie is not about the fight against terrorism. Or, it is, but it's also about the fight against foreign invaders and occupiers.
The film is noted both for its style as well as its neutrality. A bit more time is spent with the FLN, but we also see much of the events from the point of view of Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), the leader of the French forces. And both these sides commit terrible acts of brutality during their fight for Algiers. Bombings, mass slaughter, torture, everything goes.
And apparently all this happened in the 50s, on French-controlled soil. Shows how much I know about history. In fact, the movie almost forces you to know something about its backgrounds and general situation. Very little is explained and it's more of a newsreel slash documentary style look into the methods used by the two sides. Very little is talked about motivations or politics. Which is both of a strength and a weakness. Those that have studied history in detail and/or those that lived during those times are going to find the film poignant and heavy. Those that did not will have an increasingly hard time with it as years pass.
Nevertheless, despite belonging to the latter camp of viewers, I did find the film a good watch. It's perhaps more interesting than truly enjoyable, but I would recommend it to anyone interested in history.