Rating of
4/4
Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 07/11/12
Outside the Law represented Algeria at the 83rd Academy Awards, where the picture was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. A story of 3 brothers namely the enterprising Saïd (Jamel Debbouze), ex military Messaoud (Roschdy Zem) and the idealistic Abdelkader (Sami Bouajila). Saïd dreams of having a prized fighter in a championship fight while Abdelkader and Messaoud to fight for Algerian independence movement. Their lives become intertwined and changed since they last met. It's storytelling was detailed coupled with spectacular performances. Score was riveting, costumes well picked and action sequences stylish. Screenplay was impressive with lines like: "Courage, pray to God." "Be a man." from their mother and "Everything I've done, I've done for him." from Messaoud. Likable characters, interesting plot with themes of fighting for independence, abuse of power, faith, sacrifice, and family. Additional realistic footage were inserted to make authentic. Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) truly surprised this reviewer at the genius of how the movie was created. Whether some of it were fictional or had any historical inaccuracies, this was pure entertainment for its film-noir western genre rarely seen.
