L'ennemi intime (2007)

A drama following a French platoon during Algeria's war of independence.

Director:

Florent-Emilio Siri

Writers:

Patrick Rotman (screenplay), Florent-Emilio Siri (adaptation),

Stars:

Benoît Magimel, Albert Dupontel, Aurélien Recoing

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benoît Magimel	...	Lieutenant Terrien
Albert Dupontel	...	Sergent Dougnac
Aurélien Recoing	...	Commandant Vesoul
Marc Barbé	...	Capitaine Berthaut
Eric Savin	...	Le sergent tortionnaire
Mohamed Fellag	...	Idir Danoun (as Fellag)
Lounès Tazairt	...	Saïd
Abdelhafid Metalsi	...	Rachid
Vincent Rottiers	...	Lefranc
Lounès Machene	...	Amar
Adrien Saint-Joré	...	Lacroix
Guillaume Gouix	...	Delmas
Ange Ruzé	...	Théron
Salem Aït-Ali-Belkacem	...	Ouramdam
Antoine Laurent	...	Maheu

Storyline

A drama following a French platoon during Algeria's war of independence.

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Plot Keywords:

algeria | shot in the back | helicopter | metaphor | napalm | 

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Taglines:

The wounds of war never heal. [Scandinavian DVD.]

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp] SND [fr]

Country:

France Morocco

Language:

French Arabic Kabyle

Release Date:

2 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Feind in den eigenen Reihen - Intimate Enemies

Filming Locations:

Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

€9,780,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Kiosque, SND, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was fully storyboarded before shooting.

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Connections

Version of L'ennemi intime (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Le cha cha cha du loup"
Written by Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Goraguer
Lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg
Performed by Serge Gainsbourg

User Reviews

Spectacular politics : brilliant !

Be prepared... Here comes what might be the most important french movie of the last few years. France has always been hiding its little political secrets and taboos, and although Americans have been multiplying projects about the Vietnam wars and the Watergate, France rarely make movies about politics. France hides itself behind the human rights. L'ENNEMI INTIME carries a heavy burden : to be the first major popular movie about the Algeria wars since THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS by Gillo Pontecorvo (1966). The objective is the same : the war still hides a huge taboo, and Siri (alongside Rotman, his writer) has tried to talk about it in a large way, avoiding caricatures and ideologies (upon which things wars usually define themselves). Lots of people in France are already accusing the movie of being spectacular. But all stories, important stories, once they've become an art form, have to drain mythology and great figures. In the way of Leone and Cimino, Siri draws archetypal soldiers torn apart between their nation, the facts, the day to day casualties of war and their own growing madness. L'ENNEMI INTIME is a true war movie, in the American tradition, as HELL IS FOR HEROES, MEN IN WAR or ATTACK. One mission turns nightmare. People redefine their own persona through this mission. The action, like in any war movie, is a political ritual that put human beings on trial with themselves. Siri uses the visual force of APOCALYPSE NOW and the brutality of PREDATOR (the scene with the falling trees) to build a mean, nervous, cruel vision, as dry as the movie is short and frontal (96 minutes). Spectacular means impact, shock, nervous attack. To wake up the minds and make them realize the importance of this war, the movie had to be spectacular. The FLN (arab liberation party) is cruel. French soldiers are cruel. Arabs torture Arabs tortured by french torturing themselves. This is war. A new brilliant motion picture by Florent Siri, making better movies each time.