Un taxi pour Tobrouk

In this French war drama, four soldiers pick up a German prisoner while fighting in the North African desert. At first, they're hostile towards him, but during the very long and harrowing drive across the sand, they come to the terrible realization that he's just a young man fighting for his country, the same as them. As one says bitterly towards the end of the film, they should have killed him straight off instead of keeping him prisoner and getting to know him. As they share water, food, triumphs, and conversation, they realize it's going to be extremely difficult to turn him over to a POW camp.

This is a dark story. The beginning shows all the soldiers at home with their families prior to joining the military. They're celebrating Christmas, kissing their children, eating dinner, all in the same human way. Then they're thrust into opposing uniforms and forced to kill each other. Taxi for Tobruk is an extremely effective anti-war movie. One soldier loves being a soldier, another hates it, claiming the only good part of war is getting to march in the victory parade afterwards. In the middle of the desert, with limited water and a Jeep running out of petrol, the five men discuss everything from politics to family. The four Frenchmen have to face the fact that the young German they've captured (Hardy Kruger) hasn't done anything to do them and has no intention of harming them. In fact, he saves them time and time again. This film was easily Hardy's audition for The Flight of the Phoenix, and as he frequently does in his movies, he tugs at the viewers' hearts. He manages to make us forget he's a Nazi soldier. He's just a young man in uniform, and he and his costars teach the audience some lessons that are difficult to swallow. This isn't a feel-good movie, but if you like it, check out Men at War, Bitter Victory, and The Hook.

This film is simply one of the best I've ever seen about WW2. It shows, with few characters, few accurate words and in the overwhelming emptiness of the desert, the true face of war: total nonsense!

The plot, which puts 4 French soldiers in the situation of taking a German prisoner, together with his car, on a trip through the desert back to El-Alamein, is brilliantly written by Michel Audiard. The author shows us how enemies, being held away from fighting, can learn to progressively appreciate themselves... or not. Irony and emotion just stick together along the whole film to the end. True, human and disabused.

I don't have anything more to say. Or just one thing: it's the fourth time I watch that film, it's the fourth time I'm caught by it until the last second!

for its rare delicacy, for the performances, for the art to use stereotypes and the image of the other in war times.for a form of gentle grace, mark of inspired script, wise dialogs and great actors art. for the emotion of final. and, sure, for the virtue of profound different war film. because it is not about battles, heroism or victories but about the links between few different people , about fear and manner to discover, step by step, the other, in middle of desert. a film who can be classic, memorable or only beautiful. in fact, it is only touching without any sentimental crumb. and it is not a surprise. each character reflects specific human type. and the bitter skin of story is the perfect cloth for it.

Story takes place during 1942 in the Libyan desert at the crucial battle in El Alamein, when the British finally defeated the German "Afrikakorps". But this is a French movie so it deals with the Free French troops who were fighting alongside the British.

The basic storyline is quite simple : during a raid on a German supply dump, the French CO gets killed and the remaining members of the squad have to make their way back to friendly lines. Along the way they lose their patrol car but then capture an enemy truck, together with a German captain (Hardy Krüger).

Lino Ventura, one of France's most famous actors, is the grumpy ex-prizefighter turned NCO (very close to his real-life personae). He was already a respected actor but this really launched him to French super-stardom. Also well-known singer Charles Aznavour co-stars, but movie's main reputation lies with its script and dialogues (a mix between comedy and tragedy) by Michel Audiard, who was the scriptwriter of countless other successful Frrench movie classics (usually starring JP Belmondo or Jean Gabin).

This war movie may not so be well known outside of France, but up to this day it remains a true French classic. French public TV choose to air 'Taxi to Tobruk" on May the 1st this year, an important holiday in France.

Denys de la Patelliere in unlikely to belong in anyone's Pantheon of great directors but his straightforward, understated style suits this material admirably.

Adapted by the director and Réne Havard from the latter's novel, the film's slow pacing enhances the dynamic between the five protagonists whilst the editing of Jacqueline Thiedot maintains the tension throughout, especially in the gripping minefield sequence.

The film also has the brilliant Michel Audiard written all over it with many quotable lines, not least "Two sitting intellectuals won't go as far as one walking brute." The 'intellectuals' in this instance are played by Charles Aznavour and Maurice Biraud whilst the 'brute' is, unsurprisingly, Lino Ventura. Making up the quintet are Germán Cobos, here 'dubbed' by Marcel Bozzufi and Hardy Kruger whose role as an infuriatingly clever German made him perfect casting as the even more infuriating Dorfmann in 'Flight of the Pheonix' four years later.

For those interested in such things, should the ongoing musical theme sound familiar, it is an arrangement of the nineteenth century French Christmas carol 'Les Anges dans nos Compagne'

Once again Charles Aznavour's screen presence overcomes his diminuitive stature and he fulfils the promise of his earlier performance in Franju's 'La Tete contre les murs' whilst the role of Theo not only solidifies Lino Ventura's popularity but also enables him to shake off his 'gangster' image. De la Patelliere was one of Jean Gabin's preferred directors during his later years and as Ventura matured he was to assume Gabin's mantle.

Inspired by the true story of two soldiers, a German and a Dane who aided each other having lost their way in Finland, the message of this piece is that even in the worst of times, Humanity can transcend borders and nationality.