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

Director:

Rachid Bouchareb

Writer:

Rachid Bouchareb (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 September 2010 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | War

Tagline:

Three brothers. One destiny. Freedom at all costs.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Algeria | Boxing Gym | Decolonization | Police Officer Shot

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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)
Mustapha Bendou	...	Brahim
Nacer Chenouf	...	Le condamné
Mostefa Djadjam	...	Le tailleur militant
Abdelkader Secteur	...	Hamid
Yacine Bendjemline	...	Envoyé GPRA
Kheiza Agboubi	...	La prostituée
Aziz Boukrouni	...	Le militant prison
Mohamed Graïaa	...	L'ouvrier Renault
Ikram Azouz	...	Omar
Stéphane Temkine	...	Le curé
Nisaf Hafsia	...	La femme d'Omar (as Nisaf Ben Hafsia)
Pietro Sampieri	...	Journaliste de boxe 1
Jean Reynès	...	L'imprimeur
Régis Romele	...	Le policier du métro
Claude Sese	...	L'organisateur de combats
Pierre Roukhon	...	Le docteur du bidonville
Ange Basterga	...	Le malfrat
Alain Blazquez	...	Le patron du cabaret
Damien Bonnard	...	Employé de cabaret
Arbi Aloui	...	Messaoud enfant
Mohamed Khalil Djalil	...	Abdelkader enfant
Abdelslam Rouabi	...	Saïd enfant
Paul Cant	...	Journaliste de boxe 2
Christian Crahay	...	Le juge
Mohamed Dhirif	...	Homme bidonville 2
Arbi Khemiri	...	Homme bidonville 1
Corentin Lobet	...	Gimenez
Rabia Mokeddem	...	La mère de la prostituée
Anne Seiller	...	La maquerelle
Harold Van Himst	...	Gimenez enfant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gwendolyn Gourvenec	...	La femme de Otmani
Charles de Gaulle	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Eric Larcin	...	Contremaître Renault (uncredited)

Directed by
Rachid Bouchareb

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rachid Bouchareb		screenplay

Produced by
Jean Bréhat	....	producer
Bernard De Dessus les Moustier	....	executive producer
Olivier Dubois	....	co-producer
Adrian Politowski	....	co-producer
Gilles Waterkeyn	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Armand Amar

Cinematography by
Christophe Beaucarne

Film Editing by
Yannick Kergoat

Casting by
Justine Léocadie

Production Design by
Yan Arlaud

Art Direction by
Yan Arlaud
Laure Lepelley-Monbillard

Costume Design by
Stéphane Rollot
Edith Vesperini

Makeup Department
Rachel Beeckmans	....	assistant makeup artist
Lelia Delval	....	hair stylist
Aurélie Elich	....	makeup artist
Alexandra Kourline	....	assistant makeup artist
Lisa Schonker	....	makeup artist
Michelle Van Brussel	....	makeup artist
Kaatje Van Damme	....	key makeup artist
Saskia Verreycken	....	prosthetics designer

Production Management
Vincent Canart	....	unit production manager: Belgium
Marc Cohen	....	assistant unit manager
Cedric Ettouati	....	post-production supervisor
Varujan Gumusel	....	post-production manager
Olivier Michel	....	unit production manager
Sylvain Monod	....	production manager
Mélanie Pienne	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marie Levent	....	second assistant director
Matthieu Maunier-Rossi	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Loïc Chavanon	....	property master
Sonia Gloaguen	....	assistant art director
Alexis Imbert	....	set dresser
Hélène Imbert	....	head painter
Thomas Lechevallier	....	second assistant art director (2009)
Anne Pinguet	....	painter

Sound Department
Thomas Bernard	....	sound recordist
Erwan Cossic	....	dialogue editor
Marc Engels	....	sound recordist
Thomas Gauder	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michel Monier	....	sound consultant: dolby
Grégory Noël	....	boom operator
Florian Penot	....	assistant foley artist
Philippe Penot	....	foley artist
Franck Rubio	....	supervising sound editor
Michel Schillings	....	second sound re-recording mixer
Antoine Trameçon	....	additional assistant sound editor
Seppe van Groeningen	....	boom operator
Olivier Walczak	....	supervising sound editor
Sébastien Wera	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Noel Chainbaux	....	special effects assistant
Romain Rosier	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Chrystèle Barbarat	....	visual effects producer
Nicolas Beaufays	....	digital compositor
Alain Carsoux	....	visual effects supervisor
Florian Chauvet	....	visual effects coordinator
Séverine De Wever	....	visual effects producer
Rémy Froment	....	movematcher
Adrien Garcia	....	digital compositor
Aurélien Grand	....	retouch and restoration
Julien Lasson	....	digital compositor
Guillaume Le Gouez	....	digital compositor
Loriane Lucas	....	digital coordinator
Gianni Manno	....	digital compositor
Marie Maulet	....	digital compositor
Tim Mendler	....	movematcher
Hugues Namur	....	visual effects supervisor
Vincent Perzo	....	digital compositor
Joel Pinto	....	digital compositor
Guillaume Pondard	....	visual effects supervisor
Jean-Francois Theault	....	digital compositor
Christian Tomikowski	....	digital compositor
Jérémie Touzery	....	matte painter
Johann Valette	....	movematcher
Caroline Voglaire	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Laurent Alexandre	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Malki Attar	....	stunt double
Yannick Ben	....	stunt performer
Christian Bergner	....	stunts
Carlos Bonelli	....	stunts
Michel Bouis	....	stunts
Xavier Brochard	....	stunts
Laurent Chevalier	....	stunt driver
Gaëlle Cohen	....	stunt coordinator
Marc David	....	stunts
Olivier Fornara	....	stunts
Tarick Hadouch	....	stunts
Vladimir Houbart	....	stunt driver
Bariller Hugo	....	stunts
Jason Hunjan	....	stunt double
Jason Hunjan	....	stunts
Mouloud Ikhaddelene	....	stunt double
Mouloud Ikhaddelene	....	stunts
Sébastien Labie	....	stunts
Mathieu Lardot	....	stunts
Laurent Larrieu	....	stunts
Thierry Legoupil	....	stunts
Alban Lenoir	....	stunts
Gregory Loffredo	....	stunts
David Masse	....	stunt driver
Antoine Piquet	....	stunts
Olivier Sa	....	stunts
Alaa Safi	....	stunts
Sébastien Seveau	....	stunt driver
Ludo Silemetzoglou	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Roger Arpajou	....	still photographer
Makrem Ayari	....	assistant camera
Julien Covens	....	best boy grip
Patrick de Ranter	....	additional camera operator
Patrick de Ranter	....	additional steadicam operator
Tristan Galand	....	electrician
Julia Kundler	....	electrician
Jean-Pierre Lacroix	....	gaffer
Farès Messaoud	....	second assistant camera: Algéria unit
Bertrand Monette	....	additional electrician
Luc Pallet	....	first assistant camera
Claire Pierrard	....	second assistant camera
Clémentine Quarante-Bauer	....	camera trainee
Stéphane Thiry	....	key grip
Edwin Van Den Hove	....	additional electrician
Bruno Verstraete	....	gaffer: second unit
Denis Warnier	....	grip

Casting Department
Judith Chalier	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nathalie Leborgne	....	costumer
Benoît Liebert	....	patina & tint
Michèle Pezzin	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Basile Belkhiri	....	first assistant editor
Arnaud Caréo	....	on-line editor
Mickaël Commereuc	....	colorist assistant
Laurence Manheimer	....	first assistant editor
Fabien Napoli	....	colorist: dailies
Thialy Sow	....	editing trainee

Music Department
Camille Adrien	....	orchestrator
Jean-Pascal Beintus	....	orchestrator
Adam Klemens	....	conductor
Elise Luguern	....	music supervisor
Emilie Ruby	....	assistant music recordist
Anne-Sophie Versnaeyen	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Gaby Meyers	....	facility/truck driver
Francois Muller	....	truck driver

Other crew
Absi Anis	....	production staff
Aude Boedec	....	production coordinator
Lucie Bourzam	....	production accountant
Alexandra Gayzal	....	location assistant
Pierre Philippe Hendrickx	....	legal advisor: Belgium
Mary Hill	....	international festival publicity team
Gianni Manno	....	end titles designer
Martin Metz	....	production executive
Iwona Sellers	....	production executive
Élodie Van Beuren	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Jeremy Burdek	....	special thanks
Nadia Khamlichi	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Tessalit Productions
• Agence Algérienne pour le Rayonnement Culturel (AARC) (co-production)
• EPTV (co-production)
• Tassili Films (co-production)
• StudioCanal (co-production)
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• Kiss Films (co-production) (as Kissfilms)
• Novak Production (co-production) (as Novak Prod)
• Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) (co-production)
• uFilm
• Quinta Communications (co-production)
• Eagle Pictures (co-production)
• Ministère Algérien de la Culture (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Agence Nationale pour la Cohésion Sociale et l'Egalité des Chances (ACSE) (support)
• Fonds Images de la Diversité (support)
• Région Provence Côte d'Azur (support)
• Quinta Studio Tunisie (support)
• Cofinova 6 (in association with)
• Cinémage 4 (in association with)
• Canal Plus Image (in association with)
• Uni Étoile 7 (in association with)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• France Télévision (participation)
• Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique (with the support of)

Distributors

• StudioCanal (2010) (France) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2011) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2011) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Cohen Media Group (2010) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Madman Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Village Films (2011) (Greece) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Film1 (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Frenetic Films (2010) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (all media)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2012) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2011) (Portugal) (all media)
• uDream (2010) (Belgium) (all media)

Special Effects

• Les Versaillais
• Mikros Image

Other Companies

• uFund  funding
• Cinésyl  grip and lighting equipment
• Le Vestiaire  costume rental
• Location Consulting & Facilities  facility vehicles
• TSF.be-ATHALYS  camera equipment provided by
• TSF.be-ATHALYS  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

"Hors la loi" - France (original title)

Runtime:

France:138 min | USA:138 min | Argentina:138 min

Country:

France | Algeria | Belgium | Tunisia | Italy

Language:

French | Arabic | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:MA (2010) | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | UK:15 | USA:Unrated | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16

Company:

Tessalit Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: ''During the montage of the FLN bombings the film is running backwards. The smoke is moving towards the flames instead of up and away from it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 83rd Annual Academy Awards (2011) (TV)

It's a start, but not a very good one

Viewed at the Festival du Film, Cannes 2010

There's no doubt France's colonial history is a treasure trove for film makers, and the country certainly has some coming to terms to do with its past, but Outside The Law, for all the fuss it raised in Cannes (including a protest by former white residents of Algeria), is, sadly, a missed opportunity.

True, the film does try to cover all the bases, and the French treated the Algerians appallingly, both in Algeria and in France itself. But what comes out is a very anodyne and clichéd soap opera about three brothers who eventually end up taking criminal paths, either within the Algerian terrorist movement or the underworld.

Although great care has been taken with the costumes, sets, props etc. to create a very credible sense of period, Outside The Law is let down by its script which, in striving for balance and neutrality, robs the films of any drama or tension and purses a by-the-numbers narrative. Everything is signposted in advance and duly arrives on time.

Outside The Law is to be applauded as a start in tackling this incredibly complex and still painful subject, but it's not a very good one. The protesters, who most likely had not seen the film, would find nothing to fear here. And they too also have a story that should be told. Whether other film makers pick up the gauntlet remains to be seen, but I suspect box office results for this film will show that this is a market best served by TV documentaries instead.