Hors la loi (2010)

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

Director:

Rachid Bouchareb

Writers:

Rachid Bouchareb (screenplay), Olivier Lorelle

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	...	Colonel 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:

colonialism | french algerian war | boxing | algeria | murder | 

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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

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

€20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was criticized heavily by some French conservatives saying that it is historically wrong and shows a deviated picture of France. Also at it's premier in Cannes film festival 2010 people were protesting in front of the theater saying that it is insulting France and also in many news papers it was criticized heavily. But the producers defend it saying that director Buchareb met many Algerian families and investigated thoroughly to write the script.

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Goofs

''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.

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Quotes

Messaoud: First our revolution, then you can do your boxing.
Saïd: I'm fighting for the revolution my own way. If he wins, Algeria wins too. Imagine it: an Algerian champion of France! It'll be a great day.
Abdelkader: No, that will be when an Algerian is the champion of Algeria!
Messaoud: Your boxer isn't French. He must fight for Algeria.
Saïd: Leave sport out of it. You know nothing!
Abdelkader: No, there's no room for personal passions! We must devote ourselves to the party. We serve a cause higher than any one of us! Understand?

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Connections

Featured in The 83rd Annual Academy Awards (2011)

User Reviews

Downbeat story about the Algerian independence movement

Outside the Law details a period in French-Algerian history from the end of the Second World War to Algerian independence. It follows three Algerian brothers who move to France and take completely different paths. One of them joins the French army, another becomes a political radical, while the third embarks of a life of crime. All of them are eventually brought together in the unified cause of Algerian independence and equal rights. It begins and ends with notorious bloody events.

Much seems to have been made about the liberties that this film has taken with the facts surrounding certain key historical events. I am not in any position to say if this is a justified complaint or not, as I simply do not know. However, I think it's only fair to say that the plot-line follows a historically accurate path; whether or not the emphasis of events is skewered or not I can't say but, if so, it would not be the first time in cinema history that a film exaggerates for dramatic effect. Whatever the case, it's certainly a period in history that hasn't been depicted in films very often from what I can gather.

While I did enjoy the film, I didn't think it was nearly as good as Rachid Bouchareb's earlier film Days of Glory. That latter film dealt with a similar theme - the difficulties French Algerians have experienced in their adopted land. I felt that Outside the Law didn't share that movie's sympathetic characters or its dynamic plot trajectory. It's overall a much more down-beat story.