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

2 wins & 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:

kill | military uniform | french military | helicopter | cigarette smoking | 

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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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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] SND [France]

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)

Opening Weekend:

€892,272 (France), 7 October 2007, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Kiosque,SND Films,France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rather than a "war film", director Florent-Emilio Siri's intent was to make a film "about war in general".

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Goofs

When the platoon is ambushed, the radio operator reports that they are being fired upon by MG-42s, which are captured German machine guns from the Second World War. These machine guns have a high rate of fire and produce a different sound than that edited into the film.

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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

Utterly outstanding

I have just seen this film and was very impressed indeed.

Many have been very critical of this film stating the characters were hollow and the film itself was little more than another ain't war hell story. However there is a lot more to it than that.

The film, like 'Land and Freedom' gives a much needed insight into a very dirty war that has largely been forgotten.

From an accuracy perspective the equipment and weapons etc were spot on for the period. Contrast this to 'Tea with Mussolini' and 'Atonement' to name but a few. The film also shows many scenes of endlessly trudging through the mountains looking for an elusive enemy with no apparent end in sight. If you read Legionnaire by Simon Murray or Wayward Legionnaire by James William Worden you will quickly discover that that was exactly what the war in Algeria was like. Finally the film shows the FLN to be every bit as brutal as the French (which they were). This is a nice change from the usual blame it all on the white man theme.

Aside from material accuracy this film also brilliantly presents two very real dilemmas. The first was the French fighting against their former allies. (Many FLN members had fought with the French against the Germans in WW II. See 'Days of Glory'). The second is the highly relevant subject of torture. On the one hand its use is highly immoral and barbaric, but it is producing effective results.

Overall an outstanding film about a subject that needs to be told. Now how about an accurate film on the Korean War and the French war in Indo China.