L'ennemi intime

I have just seen this film and was very impressed indeed.

Many have been very critical of this film stating the characters were hollow and the film itself was little more than another ain't war hell story. However there is a lot more to it than that.

The film, like 'Land and Freedom' gives a much needed insight into a very dirty war that has largely been forgotten.

From an accuracy perspective the equipment and weapons etc were spot on for the period. Contrast this to 'Tea with Mussolini' and 'Atonement' to name but a few. The film also shows many scenes of endlessly trudging through the mountains looking for an elusive enemy with no apparent end in sight. If you read Legionnaire by Simon Murray or Wayward Legionnaire by James William Worden you will quickly discover that that was exactly what the war in Algeria was like. Finally the film shows the FLN to be every bit as brutal as the French (which they were). This is a nice change from the usual blame it all on the white man theme.

Aside from material accuracy this film also brilliantly presents two very real dilemmas. The first was the French fighting against their former allies. (Many FLN members had fought with the French against the Germans in WW II. See 'Days of Glory'). The second is the highly relevant subject of torture. On the one hand its use is highly immoral and barbaric, but it is producing effective results.

Overall an outstanding film about a subject that needs to be told. Now how about an accurate film on the Korean War and the French war in Indo China.

Hey! If you're looking for a War movie with some grit this is it, the movie gas a American vibe but with French flavor no over the top diatribe, this movie keeps it simple in my opinion, my advice do some back ground research after viewing outside of that this is a must see.

This film is nothing short of "brilliant." "L'ennemi Intime" is set in French-occupied Algeria in 1959 at the height of the insurgency. A French platoon is sent deep into enemy territory to find and liquidate the head of the insurgents called Slimane. Lieutenant Terrien, a novice and a humanist, is given charge of the platoon after its commander is accidentally killed by friendly fire. "L'ennemi Intime" is a little bit like "The Battle of Algiers" but set in the mountains of Kabylie (Berber territory in Algeria). I first saw it at the Dubai Film Festival in December 07 and was completely blown away by it. It is so gripping and visceral. The film is an incredible commentary on the inhumanity of war; how not matter how innocent and good one goes to war he is almost certain to become a beast and a murderer in the end. I highly recommend this film. Every soldier who is about to be deployed to a war zone should watch Ennemi Intime. Its simplest message is that war corrupts the human soul and there are no winners once the shooting stops.

L'ennemi intime (Intimate Enemies) is a raw picture looking at French conscripts during the Algeria War. It was a war that was fought for 8 years between 1954-1962, it was also a war that France failed to even acknowledged had existed until over three decades later. Pic picks up the thread in 1959 and the focal point is the relationship between Lieutenant Terrien (Benoît Magimel) and Sergent Dougnac (Albert Dupontel). The former is the new guy, idealistic, while the latter is the grizzled and battled scarred veteran.

The Barbarian Hordes.

With the French locked in battle against the Algerian rebels, the film runs the protagonists through the psychological mangler. The horrors of war are born out, with both sides of the conflict depicted with a barbarity that's harrowing in nature. As the pic progresses you can see Terrien being worn down by what he observes, the key being he is losing his idealistic heart. Moral dilemmas are deftly inserted into the screenplay, but disappointingly the political thrum that was driving the conflict is given short shrift.

From an action stand point director and co-writer Florent-Emilio Siri strikes hard, with two particular sequences - one a field of fleeing soldiers and the finale involving air-strikes - outstanding in construction. Siri also knows when to tighten the emotional noose, bringing to us poignant scenes that leave a lump in the throat. Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci's cinematography is also to be applauded, muted colours mingle with stark framing compositions to really give the sense of realism that the screenplay demands and deserves.

Aside from the lack of political basis (we need to know more about this war), the only other real problems with the piece is the conventionality, and that it inevitably is filled with war film stereotypes. However, this is very good film making and the makers bring the story to vivid life, always remaining fascinating and certainly unforgettable. 8/10

I have just seen L'ennemi intime, a film about a young lieutenant during the Algeria war in 1959. A few films have already been shot about that war (L'honneur d'un capitaine, La bataille d'Alger, etc.) but this one is the best. At least it will change the way films are made on this matter. The actors are good, the images beautiful, the action very well done. And the film show the atrocities from both side (and that's quite rare actually, usually in France you have the "bad French" against the "nice fellous"). This film has the quality of Platoon or Apocalypse now. I only give 8/10 because of the end, not perfect. But it's a must seen film.