The Battle of Algiers

Gillo Pontecorvo's classic film shows viewers that not much as changed in guerrilla warfare from the 1950s to today's battlefield. Using hyper realistic cinematography combined with amateur actors to create a docu-drama like feel to the film, Pontecorvo paints a gray picture of the Algerian struggle for independence. Although there might be an Algerian protagonist and a emphasis on the French brutality against the Algerians, it becomes apparent there just isn't a good guy to root for.

Both sides use violence and terror in their attempts to win out, whether it be torture or bombing civilian locations as Pontecorvo shows that not all is fair in love and war. The film's relevance to the asymmetrical battlegrounds that the United States among many other Western nations have found themselves in demonstrates the timeless nature of the subject. The film does not mean to just show the Algerian struggle, but the universal struggle of an oppressed people who seek freedom or sovereignty by any means necessary. Set to a tense and stirring Ennio Morricone score, The Battle of Algiers shows you don't need lots of special effects or overwhelming battle scenes to make a war film that makes a lasting impact on the viewer.