The Battle of Algiers (1966) review

Powerful 'recreation' of the insurgency in Algiers that helped the country of Algeria gain independence from France - as an up-close portrait of the terrorist actions (blowing up buildings, assassinations among crowds), it's hauntingly real and immediate. One of the film's strengths is Pontecorvo's attempt to play neutral (for the most part) - while his French soldiers torture members of the revolutionary faction, Algerian women bomb dance clubs and bars filled with innocents (including children). War is shown as ugly and tragic (even for the victors): the needs of the nation as a whole overwhelms the needs of basic individuals caught in the middle of a decisive conflict.