Director Rachid Bouchareb teams with screenwriter Olivier Morelle to offer a revealing look at the brave contributions made by North African soldiers who fought for France during World War II in this emotionally-charged war drama starring Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Sami Bouajila, and Bernard Blancan. The year was 1943 and France had been bending to the will of Nazi Germany for three long years. In order to break Hitler's powerful grip, the first French Army was recruited in Africa. Comprised
of 130,000 North Africans who were willing to put their lives on the line in order to defeat the Nazi death machine, the fearless fighters were contemptuously dubbed indigènes (natives) by many French, despite their remarkable sacrifice. From the noble Abdelkader (Bouajila), who is fighting strictly for the cause; to the money motivated Yassir (Naceri); the impoverished Saïd (Debbouze); and die-hard romantic Messaoud (Roschdy Zem), who longs to finally visit the country he has dreamt about from afar, the selfless efforts of these remarkable men ultimately transcend their superiors' contemptuous disregard for their service by providing invaluable aid during one of the world's darkest hours. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Instead of guys named Danny and Polack and Sol and Brooklyn, you've got guys named Said and Yassir and Messaoud and Abdelkader. But it's the same deal. Prick them, do they not bleed? Blow them up, do their limbs not scatter and their guts not spill?
It's to the credit of the actors, and Algerian-born director Rachid Bouchareb, that we become emotionally involved with the soldiers and the injustices they are forced to endure.
Days of Glory may lack a certain complexity, but then courage under fire from all sides -- be it the enemy's weapons or your own country's disgusting bigotry -- is a pretty straightforward proposition. The plain facts are more than enough.
Rachid Bouchareb's stirring war movie does for the North Africans what Ousmane Sembene and Thierno Faty Sow's Camp Thiaroye did for the Senegalese: it acknowledges the important role they played fighting alongside the French in World War II.
Like most every great war movie, it combines intense action with human drama. There's also several overtly preachy scenes that accomplish little to further the story but they underline the already clear message.
Rachid Bouchareb's affecting and observant platoon drama may be a small step toward recognizing the sacrifice [of Algerian soldiers in World War II]...
The horror of "Days of Glory" is that its hate and tolerance are not relics from the past, but are as real today as the flickering shadows on the screen.
[Director] Bouchareb clearly understands that battlefield action is greatly intensified when filmgoers care about the participants, and he works artfully to make that happen.
A cri de couer dressed out as a standard war film, Days of Glory is a well-made if blunt appeal for justice for the nearly forgotten Algerian soldiers who enlisted in the French Army in 1943.
It occasionally does drop into wartime cliches of love lost and friends fallen. But the chest-thwack poinancy of those who shed blood and were shamefully shunned drags you through.
A war film more of sober, grim reflection than balls-out escapades. Yet it grips consistently, its bursts of combat delivering gut-punches of veracity.
Days Of Glory is a grim reflection on the events of World War II from the perspective of the unrewarded bravery and loyalty of colonial Algeria to liberate France from Germany. Passionate. Straightforward. Historically important.
Being ignorant of this historical warfare, I was absolutely lost in the beginning. I couldn't understand why X was fighting for Y against Z unless X was ruled by Y. But I was able to get hold of it soon. But I wasn't able to understand several things. Why Sergeant Martinez recommended Abdelkader for promotion even
after getting into a fight with him and with all their differences? Why would Said stake his life for Sergeant after he wants him to go to hell? Okay, I can take it that one or two of 'em have an all-of-a-sudden change of heart. But what's shown here is too hard to digest. Seemed like the makers lost their tabs on logic while trying to show/be clear enough that their intentions were pure. Of all the actors, Abdelkader was the best.
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