- Director : Rachid Bouchareb
- Actors : Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Chafia Boudraa, Bernard Blancan
- Media Format : Anamorphic
- Run time : 2 hours and 19 minutes
- Studio : Cohen Media Group
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Country of Origin : France/Algeria
- Release date : May 17, 2022
From
the writer/director behind the potent war film Days of Glory comes
another historically accurate action film. With Days of Glory, we were
given the realistic depiction of Algerians who joined in the battle against German
invasion. Unfortunately, what the Algerian soldiers soon discover in their
effort to free France, is that there is a clear discrimination in the treatment
of soldiers. Even though they are able to fight alongside the French, the North
African soldiers are often demeaned, insulted, and aren’t even given the same
meals. Willing to die for France and unable to eat the same food as the French,
this struggle is as prominent as the struggle against Nazi oppression in Days
of Glory.
Rachid Bouchareb continues his theme
of French oppression of the Algerian people with Outside the Law, a film
which brings us into the fight for Algerian independence from France years
after the end of WWII. Three brothers take different journeys after they are
kicked out of their homes in Algeria during French occupation, though each
eventually come together to see one common goal for their countrymen. The
different journeys allow them varying experiences and unique contributions to
the resistance effort.
Messaoud (Roschdy Zem) joins the
French army fighting in Indochina, returning with a special gift for killing
that he desperately wishes to have left behind. This is a life which is not
allowed by Abdelkader (Sami Bouajila), the brother whose time in prison awakens
him to the Algerian independence movement. Youngest brother Saiid (Jamel
Debbouze) moves to Paris to make a fortune and does so mostly by living a
corrupt lifestyle. All three have different paths, but they each come to
together because of the blood they share. Agree or disagree, they are there for
their brothers when it matters.
This 2010 Academy Award nominee has been
re-released on Blu-ray as a part of the Cohen Media Group Contemporary Classics
collection. Like the original Blu-ray release, special features include a making-of
featurette, an interview with Bouchareb, and cast interviews.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 5.5/10
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