This is a strong film about France's colonial war in Algeria. It has an anti-war message that well demonstrates the evil of colonialism and the self-destructiveness of war on the individual participants.
No side is glorified (or put another way both sides are vilified) and indeed we can see that Algeria was a prior version of Vietnam and for that matter our modern day wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The film does not evade controversial subjects like torture – an ugly product of all wars.
I felt the characters to be well-defined with a good and engaging script. The main focus is on a novice and idealistic captain who comes to serve his country and begins a slow descent into the abyss.
No side is glorified (or put another way both sides are vilified) and indeed we can see that Algeria was a prior version of Vietnam and for that matter our modern day wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The film does not evade controversial subjects like torture – an ugly product of all wars.
I felt the characters to be well-defined with a good and engaging script. The main focus is on a novice and idealistic captain who comes to serve his country and begins a slow descent into the abyss.