So Real

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2009)

The portrayal of the battle for Algeria by the colonizing French and the native Algerians is almost as real as it can get in the movie "The Battle of Algiers". At times it is so realistic, it seems like you're watching a documentary. The scene that depicts this best is a shot of a raid of an Algerian community by the French military. During all of the commotion you see a naked baby boy crying outside its doorI wanted to reach through the screen and pick him up.
I feel the movie tells an age long story of how a people can never be truly taken over. There will always be a fight for culture and freedom. Although this movie was about two sides of a fight, the movie never took sides. You get to see why both parties where fighting. In most battle films you pick a side in the beginning and stick with it throughout the film. This film lets you get an understanding of the Algerians and the colonizing French.