"This rasping relic of a WWII "message picture" is hackneyed to its noble core." - Nick Schager

Slow moving but poignant. A story that deserved to be told but not as gripping as other war films.

24-3-2010

The movie undermines its own effort to convey a serious message (colonial troops weren't treated adequately by the french) by being both hypocritical (there's not even a hint to the fact that these were the most notorious troops on the whole western front for their crimes against civilians) and ridiculous (who casted Debbouze for a role as a soldier and gave him a bolt-action rifle? and the battle scenes... what's the matter with that guy shooting his panzershreck randomly inside a building?)

81.000

Not the best war-movie ever, but still I enjoyed this movie a lot. It's a little slow and not for mainstream moviegoers, but the story and the social dynamics and racial prejudices were interesting to watch, though admittedly maybe not as close to the true situation back then as the makers would like you to believe.

Very educational and informative, but it lacks the pace of a truly good film. By all means, see this if you are a history buff or want to see how governments often treat their soldiers once they don't need them anymore. But it's not a film for everyone.

The story of the prejudiced Algerians deserved the silver screen. A huge portion of the French army were from North Africa during WW2. These soldiers were considered inferior during the war, and didn't recieve pensions and proper recognition after the war. It's not really a unique war film, but it does enough to set itself a part. Well crafted film, although it needed more to be truly memorable.

A well told story of prejudice amongst allies, though certainly not unique to it's genre.

Conventional but very moving and haunting.

Commendation for telling a story which was overdue to be told, but despite the casting of the best French / North African actors, the film is not a classic. Some bizarre early dialogue scenes make it slow to get going. The balance between action and characters felt off due to poor story structure. The final battle scene came too late, and didn't offer much new. A well-directed but underwhelming war film with a bit too much dialogue, probably of most interest to history buffs.