Film Review | Outside the Law (DVD)

With: Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem and Sami Bouajila


This excellent drama about France’s Algerian crisis, told through three intertwining narratives about native brothers who migrate to France and plot to avenge their father’s death, caused quite a stir when it was released in France.



Many felt it to be an unpatriotic appraisal of the way the French behaved towards its colonial subjects as they fought for independence. For a balanced viewpoint, it might be best to consult the history books, but from a dramatic angle it works a treat.

The seeds of future resistance are sewn when the French steal the land of a humble farmer in 1930s Algeria. His three young boys – each displaying differing levels of anger and fondness for vengeance – understandably balk at the injustice. And when the 1945 Sétif massacre takes place, during which their father is mercilessly gunned down, the plotting begins.

All of the siblings move to mainland France, where one joins the army, the other is jailed for anti-government plotting and another hustles a living as a boxing promoter and pimp (the latter is played by comedian Jamel Debbouze in a spellbinding performance). What follows, amid some superb set-piece action sequences, is both an exploration of the Algerian resistance movement within France and the varying degrees of commitment to the motherland’s cause shown by the brothers.

In short, this is a hugely enjoyable and gratifying film.

Outside the Law is released on DVD in the UK on 29th August 2011.