Outside the Law (2010)
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Outside the Law Movie Review
Outside the Law is a 2010 crime drama film directed by Rachid Bouchareb and starring Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem and Sami Bouajila. It’s a very bleak, but important period movie.
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“By looking after yourself,
you are looking after me“
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Three young brothers lose their home and get separated from each other. One brother joins the army, the second brother becomes a leader while the third brother takes the shady way to make quick money. This movie is set against the backdrop of the Algerian independence movement and the Algerian War. It requires some background knowledge on this subject, a bit too much of it in fact as it’s far from an engaging watch for anybody who isn’t a history buff.
The movie spawned a lot of outrage from French nationalists upon its release, which just goes to show how toxic that part of French society is. The director researched the film well, so its historical authenticity is not to be disputed. The movie is important in its subject and very well made across the board, but it failed to engage me as a viewer personally.
Undeniably well acted, Zem, Bouajila and Debbouze all delivered stellar performances. These actors did the best that they could with these very badly written roles as the characters never get to live their lives outside of their political roles. An insight into their personal lives was sorely missing here.
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Outside the Law is well scored, very well shot and suitably intense with the crime shootout scenes being so well filmed and thrilling. But the movie is overlong at almost two and a half hours and very glacially paced, resulting in a tiresome viewing experience. As a fan of historical films that are more dramatic than crime-oriented, this one simply wasn’t for me. It was nominated for an Oscar in a year that didn’t have the best foreign nominees slate.
Outside the Law is an Algerian crime period film that deals with an important subject, but it failed to engage me due to its glacial pacing and overlong runtime. Although undeniably very well performed by its talented actors and technically polished, the film was too focused on the political than the personal lives of its characters, resulting in a muted, emotionally hollow viewing experience.
My Rating – 3
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