Why should I?
Because I saved your skin in Indochina.
Why the limp?
A wound.
Recent?
No, in WWII.
You fought in WWII?
Yes.
Where were you wounded?
Monte Cassino.
No shit! Me, too.
What's your name?
Idir Danoun.
Doesn't ring a bell.
You were at Belvedere?
Remember when
the Krauts took pot shots at us from Cifalco?
What's going on?
Amazing! We fought at Monte Cassino together.
You were there?
Which regiment?
7th Algerian Infantry. 2nd Company.
We'll halt here.
A cigarette?
Do you have
family in these parts?
No one. All dead. Butchered.
Why'd you join the FLN?
Look at this cigarette.
This is you.
On one end is the French army.
On the other, the FLN.
Either way, you lose.
You don't know who you are anymore.
You're no longer an Algerian.
You'll never be a Frenchman.
Go on.
Go on, move it!
Beat it.
Wait!
My medal.
Go ahead.
Platoon... attention!
At ease.
Soldier...
you're free.
I said you're free.
A fellagha like him murdered my family.
It's the lieutenant, sarge.
The prisoner was shot trying to escape.
I'll report it.
You really think I'm stupid.
Go on. Dismissed.
Mail's here, guys!
Come in.
Mail for you, sir.
Put it there.
Don't open your mail?
Urgent message from CP, sir.
- Fall the men in. - Yes, sir.
Dismissed.
Fall in.
Attention!
Cover down!
Left, face!
At ease.
Our planes spotted the fellagha unit headed by Slimane.
We're to enter the Forbidden Zone over the mountain
and locate their hideaway.
Vigier, Attia, Danoun, Zunino, Krimo,
stay in camp.
You others: 48-hour mission with full packs.
We move out in 10 minutes.
Fall out, sergeant.
Attention!
Fall out.
48 hour mission - 8:35 a.m.
- Shit! - Take cover!
Take cover!
Lacroix, the machine gun!
The machine gun!
I can't. I lost it!
- Go recover it! - I'll go.
No, I will.
Lacroix!
Recover the machine gun!
Sayeed, recover it!
- Go, now! - I won't do it.
That's an order.
I can't, sergeant.
Go!
Recover it. That's an order!
Get your ass in gear.
What's the matter?
What the fuck!
Cover me!
Why can't you do it?
They're fellaghas, too.
Why can't you?
Sergeant!
The enemy's fallen back.
You're fucking insane.
On your feet!
Sun, this is Rock, do you read me?
I read you.
Here's Major Vesoul.
This is Sun authority. Go ahead, Rock.
The rebels engaged us well before contact point.
We have wounded to evacuate. Over.
Roger. Here are the orders.
Sending a chopper to evacuate wounded.
Divide platoon into two groups.
Group 1 will link up At 14-50
at dawn for collection.
Group 2 will pursue mission.
Group 2 is to pursue mission. Over.
Sir,
we have an enemy unit on our back. We should cancel mission. Over.
Negative. Orders are to pursue mission.
Fuck!
I repeat: pursue mission. Over and out.
Hear that?
What do you think?
Negative. You evacuate the wounded man.
We link up at 18-65 and pursue mission together.
Sayeed, Hassib, Ali, Lefranc, Maheu, Amar... with me.
You others, with me.
Good luck, lieutenant.
Move, move, move!
Forbidden Zone. 9:40 p.m.
Do we have to go this way, sir?
We have no choice.
Sayeed, take a man. Go ahead and check it out.
I want to go home, sir.
I don't want to die here like Delmas and the others.
Don't say that.
You'll make it.
I have these images in my head.
You know, the napalm.
I can still taste it.
I know.
We all do.
You'll film Montmartre for us,
and show it to the guys.
Thank you, sir.
- I'm going home? - Yes.
Hey, Ouram,
hand me my camera.
Going home, goddammit.
I'm going home!
This way.
4:30 a.m.
Chopper approaching, sir.
5:22 a.m.
Take cover!
It's a sniper.
You're safe going that way. I'll stay here.
Evacuate!
Rally point. 7:31 a.m.
Do you read me, Chamois?
Well?
It's crawling with rebels!
They're moving in small groups, as if they were stalking us.
We have to get out of here.
We can't stay here.
We stay at the rally point and wait for the sergeant.
We have to get out of here. It's too dangerous!
That's an order!
Here he comes.
There, at 11 o'clock.
They're headed for the sarge. He hasn't seen them.
They're heavily loaded.
Fire!
Read you 4-by-5. Over.
Request chopper at 19-77:
one wounded, one dead.
Negative. All choppers in operation.
Negative, CP! It's at least a 12-hour march
to the nearest post. I need immediate evacuation.
I repeat: negative. There's nothing in your sector.
Fucking shit! Are you deaf? I need an evacuation!
End of transmission.
This is Fennec. Do you read me?
Sergeant!
- Do you read me? - I read you.
I'll be in your sector in 40 minutes for evacuation. I repeat...
Thank God, Berthaut! Careful, it's crawling with fellaghas.
Relax, old man.
We rally at 16-28. Location is safe. I repeat: location is safe.
I read you. Be there in 30 minutes.
Move out!
Don't worry.
You'll be kissing the girls again soon.
Thanks, sergeant.
Thank the captain here.
Thanks, captain.
It's nothing, son.
Watch out. Terrien's having a bad time.
Relax. He's tough.
Thanks.
We're even now.
The slate's clean.
- Here we go. - Yes, sir.
So long, Lefranc.
- Bang 'em hard! - So long, guys.
So long, Lefranc!
For Algeria.
8:30 a.m.
It's them.
Dougnac, it's them!
Platoon, halt!
It's them.
Dougnac, it's them!
Over there.
It's them down there.
It's Berthaut at 12 o'clock.
No, at 10 o'clock.
Fuck!
We're too far.
Théron, PRC6!
Come in, Fennec. Enemy at 10 o'clock above the defile.
Enemy at 10 o'clock.
Fellaghas on your ass, Berthaut!
Théron, request backup.
Channel 16, air support.
Dougnac, let's go.
They'll be gone by then. We can only circle around.
I'm going.
Dougnac... take two men and my chopper.
Take Berthaut's body to CP.
Ask for a medic to...
I mean...
I want him presentable for his family.
Take a good look.
This is the real face of the FLN.
They murder
and mutilate your friends.
Some of you may wonder what you're doing in Algeria,
far from your homes
and families.
I hope you now know why you're fighting.
This crime won't go unpunished.
12:30 p.m.
Everyone out!
Out, you!
You bitch!
Everyone out! Outside, I said!
Keep the bastards moving!
Tell them to shut the fuck up!
Shut up!
We have the whole village, sir.
Sir...
This was in the old man's house. And this man was hiding,
with a bullet wound.
Don't touch me.
What'd he say?
That the Americans left guns
while fighting Rommel in '43.
He says he served France in WWI and has his military papers.
And the wound?
He's full of shit.
See to the prisoners.
What about the villagers?
As we found guns and a wounded man...
Your leader's name? Is Slimane your leader?
You gonna talk?
Look at the old man. We'll rip his balls off.
Do you know Slimane? Do you?
In the balls!
Talk! Talk!
Say something!
Help him, please!
Tell them what you know!
They don't know anything!
He's too old. Stop!
- Not you, sir. - What's the matter?
Is he your grandfather?
Want the juice, too? Beat it!
Théron, crank!
Zunino, water!
I'll cut your balls off.
- Stop it! - Scumbag!
- Crank, Théron. - Talk!
It stopped flowing.
There's no more juice.
Shit!
What's the point?
He's dead!
You assholes!
I swear you're gonna talk.
Where's Slimane? Where is he?
Your prisoner told the truth. We confirmed it.
Slimane was burned to death during Operation Meshta Rehki.
Good work. Mission accomplished.
Organize an escape attempt.
There's a clearing below, by the track.
Make sure you get rid of the body.
Ready... aim...
Sir...
Fire.
When you're done,
make your report to me at CP.
There'll be a medal and leave waiting for you.
Here you are, sir.
Supper's ready, Pierre.
Just five more minutes, Mommy.
You get up here now.
You want a spanking?
Oh, all right.
Drive.
Do you know the land whose prince is a child,
off-limits to enemies of dreams and poetry?
Here are all the enchantments we had forgotten.
In December, the French spend 250 million on their children.
A modest sum for what
they give us in return.
In Algeria,
the northern part of the Bushim Sila pipeline
is again growing by 3 miles a day.
In the northern Aurès, pacification
is not an act of military conquest.
Rather, its aim is to win
hearts and minds.
In Mitidja, young conscripts protect the fields so peasants can work.
Thus our army is peacefully preparing tomorrow's Algeria.
What are you waiting for?
Me or a fellagha...
What do you care?
Crank or I shoot.
You should've stayed in France.
You don't belong here.
Get the fuck out.
Give me that gun, sergeant.
That's an order.
You have to report this, sir.
Dismissed.
Sunday December 24.
Silent night
lovely night
Peace to all
on this day
All is calm,
All is still
Men are friends who never fight
It is Christmas Day
Merry Christmas!
The movie! The movie!
Please, stop.
What's the movie, Théron? We want Lollobrigida.
Sophia Loren.
Tits! Tits!
Please, please...
Calm down. It's not a movie.
Stop it,
please.
Listen to me.
Remember Lacroix said he'd make a surprise movie for Christmas.
On my last leave, I developed his film.
Candles out.
To Lacroix!
Bang 'em, guys!
Bang 'em, Lacroix.
That's me!
It's you, lieutenant.
There's the sergeant.
That's me.
Monte Cassino, May 18...
You broken record!
May 18, 1943!
Oh man...
Hey, Zunino, seen the sergeant?
- He went hunting, sir. - Alone?
Yes, sir.
- Which way? - Through the ravine.
The day Terrien died,
I was already gone.
I'd deserted.
I didn't see the end of the war.
Algeria won independence in 1962.
It had been written all along.
It took me time to admit it.
We'd fought in vain. Friends had died for nothing.
I sometimes think of Terrien.
He was lucky to get the bullet he went looking for.
With his stupid idealism, he'd never have tolerated the man he'd become.
Two million young Frenchmen were mobilized in Algeria.
27,000 lost their lives there.
There were an estimated 300,000 to 600,000 dead on the Algerian side.
It was only in October 1999 that France officially recognized
there had been a war in Algeria.