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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Three brothers. One destiny. Freedom at all costs.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | War

---

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.

---

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.

---

Quotes

Viet Minh Propagandist: [unseen, via loudspeaker, to French-led Northern African prisoners of war] Colonial France is not invincible.

---

Connections

Referenced in Il était une fois l'Algérie et la France (2010)

User Reviews

I learnt a lot

Well I neither have the expert historical perspective or the expertise on films of other reviewers, but I'm just an ordinary person who went to see this movie.

I loved it because it really shows how people can get sucked into resistance, even if they're very ordinary and not particularly brave, because the other option of not doing anything is so awful. I thought the acting was very convincing and I learnt a lot about that time in Algeria. I spend a lot of time in the south of France so I think this helped me to understand the history of some of the people I know.

Goodness me this site wants me to write 10 lines. No wonder everyone else's reviews are so long. I watched it a long time ago when it first came out and so I don't have a clear memory of details, just the overall impression, and I wanted to share that.