The Battle of Algiers

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The Battle of Algiers

1967

2h 5m

War

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

96 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Paratrooper commander Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to 1950s Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch the uprisings of the Algerian War. There he faces Ali la Pointe (Brahim Haggiag), a former petty criminal who, as the leader of the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale, directs terror strategies against the colonial French government occupation. As each side resorts to ever-increasing brutality, no violent act is too unthinkable.

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Critics Consensus

A documentary-like depiction of a nation's real-life efforts to expel a colonizing force, The Battle of Algiers puts viewers on the front lines with gripping realism.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/18/2023

I think people's senses are so overwhelmed by the surging inevitability of the action that they are prepared to support what, in another context, they would reject.

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Eric Hynes

Village Voice

10/05/2016

It uses realism as an effect, documentary as a style. You feel that you're really there, and you can't help but be moved.

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Mike D'Angelo

AV Club

10/05/2016

A-

It neither demonizes nor lionizes either side of the conflict, aiming for just-the-ugly facts objectivity. Nobody who sees it is likely to feel comforted, or even vindicated. The emotion it most frequently and fervently inspires is sorrow.

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Ben Miller

InSession Film

2d

A

The Battle of Algiers isn’t afraid to make a mess of war. Nothing comes easily, and no easy answers are given. War isn’t that black-or-white, and this film refuses to conform to convention.

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Jul 21

5/5

A magnificent, almost perfect film. Rarely has the geography and character of an entire city been captured so well. For all its revolutionary urgency, the human cost of the violence is never lost on you.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Jan 14

4/4

With irresistible style and narrative efficiency, The Battle of Algiers mourns the conditions of colonialism, capturing the moral complexity and human toll of an imperialistic relationship between the colonizer and colonized.

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rex W

@RT11010153 Aug 19

This film represents an outstanding achievement in filmmaking. It feels as if the entire country of Algeria participated in making the film. I found myself rooting for the rebels (even though they are terrorists killing innocent people), because their ultimate goal is clear. However, I didn’t feel any emotional attachment to the story or to any individual. I wasn't sad when anyone got killed on either side.

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Vincent S

@Vin_E_At_The_Movies Jul 5

A very impressive docudrama that is also hard to watch because of its brutality. The direction and natural acting is extraordinary.

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Soumia B

@RT24539867 Jun 20

Absolutely a must see. Perhaps you hear many people through the word masterpiece so easily around. If you hear such claim for this movie, believe them! A mix of documentary style with realism and a story that resonates with not just Algerians giving it a universality unmatched. I don't usually enjoy black and white movies but this is one of the fewest exceptions.

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Johnathon W

@Hoppynsc Feb 26

Superb war film that ranks as one of the best ever, thanks to crisp realism in front of and behind the camera. The cast is excellent, consisting of mostly non-actors, with the only real standout being Jean Martin as Col. Mathlieu, a dedicated soldier who commits to his mission with prison, even if he is aware of the larger political problems. Behind the camera, writer/director Gillo Pontecorvo crafts a crisply thrilling film about the Algerian War, and while it does take the side of the Algerians over France, he doesn't shy away from the brutality on both sides, from the French troops using tortue to the Algerians bombing innocent civilians. He also shoots it in a documentary style, further adding to the realism. The result is one of the best and most influential war movies ever.

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Joshua D

@Josh26 Jan 18

Fascinating and educational masterpiece. A must watch for so many reasons.

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Leprechaun K

@LeprechaunKing Dec 28

The authenticity and realism are still unmatched almost 60 years later. A cinematic masterpiece that is perpetually impactful.

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Gillo Pontecorvo

Director

Jean Martin

Col. Mathieu

Yacef Saadi

Djafar

Brahim Haggiag

Ali La Pointe

Tommaso Neri

Captain (uncredited)

Samia Kerbash

One of the girls

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Synopsis

Paratrooper commander Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to 1950s Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch the uprisings of the Algerian War. There he faces Ali la Pointe (Brahim Haggiag), a former petty criminal who, as the leader of the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale, directs terror strategies against the colonial French government occupation. As each side resorts to ever-increasing brutality, no violent act is too unthinkable.

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Producer: Antonio Musu, Yacef Saadi
Distributor: Rialto Pictures, Image Entertainment Inc., Criterion Collection, Rizzoli
Production Co: Cashbah, Igor Film
Genre: War, History, Drama
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 1967, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2016
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.9K
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Mono

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