Pro French bias in the film

Rating: 9/10 (26 October 2005)

Although the film tries very hard to be neutral and succeeds in portraying the Algerian characters as sympathetic, the depiction of many more French deaths than Algerian betrays a subtle bias. The reality was that at least 100,000 Algerians were killed in the war versus 10,000 French. Yet the film shows many more scenes of random killing of the French than Algerians caught in the cross fire. A significant omission is any portrayal of the aerial war in the mountain villages although it is alluded to by one of the FLN leaders. Otherwise, I found the film to be very balanced in its portrayal of the suffering endured in this conflict by both sides. An excellent and gripping film which is reminiscent of the present day struggle going on in Iraq.