Powerful, political, yet not polemic

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2012)

Based on what I had heard and read about this film, I was expecting a fairly one-sided account, with the insurgents cast in the heroic role. Inevitably, they command the lion's share of screen time, but Pontecorvo is no Michael Moore. When three bombs are set off by the terrorists (women who elude the checkpoints), we see their victims, both before and after detonation. Ali, the new recruit to the rebel cause, is hardly sympathetic; he is hatred personified, even if he has plenty to be hateful about. His mentor, Jaffar, is more charismatic, yet even he seems to know things will turn out badly for him. As for Colonel Mathieu, even he is not a conventional villain. Every move he makes is either ordered from Paris or the natural progression from what comes before. What's left, ultimately, are no true good guys or bad guys, no winners, just losers. And one unforgettable film.