Outside the Law (2010)
"Hors la loi" (original title)

A drama about the Algerian struggle for independence from France after WWII.

Director:

Rachid Bouchareb

Writer:

Rachid Bouchareb (screenplay)

Stars:

Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamel Debbouze	...	Saïd
Roschdy Zem	...	Messaoud
Sami Bouajila	...	Abdelkader
Chafia Boudraa	...	La mère
Bernard Blancan	...	Faivre
Sabrina Seyvecou	...	Hélène
Assaad Bouab	...	Ali
Thibault de Montalembert	...	Morvan
Samir Guesmi	...	Otmani
Jean-Pierre Lorit	...	Picot
Ahmed Benaissa	...	Le père
Larbi Zekkal	...	Le caïd
Louisa Nehar	...	Zohra
Mourad Khen	...	Sanjak
Mohamed Djouhari	...	L'entraîneur (as Mohamed Djouhri)

Storyline

After losing their family home in Algeria, three brothers and their mother are scattered across the globe. Messaoud joins the French army fighting in Indochina; Abdelkader becomes a leader of the Algerian independence movement in France and Saïd moves to Paris to make his fortune in the shady clubs and boxing halls of Pigalle. Gradually, their interconnecting destinies reunite them in the French capital, where freedom is a battle to be fought and won.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | algeria | boxing gym | decolonization | police officer shot | 

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Taglines:

Three brothers. One destiny. Freedom at all costs.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France Algeria Belgium Tunisia Italy

Language:

French Arabic English

Release Date:

22 September 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Outside the Law

Box Office

Budget:

€20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tessalit Productions, Agence Algérienne pour le Rayonnement Culturel (AARC), EPTV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The French air force plane in 1953 in Indochina seems to be a today's Hercule C130, instead of a Noratlas that was used then.

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Connections

Follows Days of Glory (2006)

User Reviews

A really good historical gangster movie.

I have to admit before seeing this movie i knew nothing about the Algerian struggle for independence from France. It's a subject that is quite topical considering the troubles we have seen in North Africa in recent times.

This film plays out like a historical gangster movie and considering it's length i really enjoyed it. There is loads of action and it is beautifully shot. There is some fantastic acting and really enjoy watching Jamel Debbouze who was great in Days of Glory.

It's not a surprise that i really likes this as I'm a big fan of foreign cinema and combined with a historical theme , i was always going to like it.