The Battle of Algiers

"Should we remain in Algeria? If you answer "yes," then you must accept all the necessary consequences." - Colonel Mathieu

Algeria, 1954. After over a country of French colonial rule, the people of Algeria are preparing to rise in revolt. The terrorist group FLN begins a rebellion with a rapidly escalating series of terrorist attacks and assassinations. The local authorities are unable to stop this faceless, increasingly ruthless enemy, and so an elite division of French paratroopers led by the coolly professional Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin) arrives to deal with the situation. The French engage in a brutal but effective crackdown which includes mass arrests, assassination, and use of torture, which ultimately kills the FLN off. However, the people of Algeria have been inflamed, and Independence soon becomes inevitable.

The Battle of Algiers is simply a brilliant movie. Gillo Pontecorvo has created one of the most stark, brutal, realistic depictions of guerrilla warfare - a film which has been viewed and used as a guide by various terrorist groups since its initial release. In abstracts rather than particulars, it is extraordinarily pertinent to the War on Terror that the US finds itself faced off against today, as America finds itself being forced to concede the moral high-ground to win a potentially unwinnable conflict.

Pontecorvo's film spares no one. Every side, every group of people is shown as being nasty in its own way. While Pontecorvo's film is on the side of the FLN, it does not shy away from showing their actions, such as placing bombs inside diners and discos, killing and maiming teenagers and even children. Likewise, the French army's techniques of assassination and torture are shown as well. It's clear that from a purely moral point-of-view, neither side has the high-ground.

In regards to the film's politics, I would hasten to say that it's a bit unfair to compare the situation in Iraq today with the film's setting, except in an abstract way. For while we have only recently conquered Iraq and have no intention of colonizing it, France had occupied Algeria for over a century and indeed considered it to be not just a colony, but part of France itself. That being said, in regards to the tactics of both the terrorists and the French counter-insurgents, and the never-ending cycle of vicious violence - well, it's obvious why the Pentagon screened this film as a guide on how to combat terrorism.

The film's bleak, realistic visual sense gives the impression of a documentary; we feel we are really living history, not just watching a film. The violence is not particularly graphic, understandable considering the time in which it was made, but we do see at least the aftermath of mass shootings and terrorist bombings - maimed and bloody bodies and destroyed homes have their own power, even if the actual act was sublimated. There are some genuinely disturbing sequences, as when a group of Algerian children beat a drunken man to death, the montage of torture, and of course the famous scene where three Algerian women disguise themselves as Frenchwomen to carry out a series of bombings. Ennio Morricone provides a desperate, driving score which allows the message to hit home.

On one last note: the cast is made up almost entirely of non-professional actors, with one notable exception. It is to the immense credit of Pontecorvo and screenwriter Franco Solinas that they made the film's antagonist, Colonel Mathieu, not a typical fascist-type monster, but an immensely sympathetic, refined man who would rather not be doing these nasty things, but recognizes he has to. His scenes where he addresses the press about the tactics of the paratroops (another scene which could be ripped from the headlines today), and his one-to-one talks with captured terrorist leaders, show that he is a genuinely decent man making the best of a bad situation. Jean Martin, a celebrated stage actor whose film appearances are generally less-than-memorable (My Name is Nobody and Day of the Jackal), turns in a truly astounding performance. The cast of amateur actors is equally impressive, particularly Ali la Pointe, the fiery rebel leader who is a man of action more than ideas, perfectly played by Brahim Haigag.

It is impossible to understate the importance of The Battle of Algiers. As a primer for both terrorists and counter-terrorists, it continues to be one of the most politically influential movies ever made. Forty years later, with the US engaged in a vicious struggle against terrorism, the topics covered in the film are as pertinent as ever.

Rating: 10/10 - Must See