Oliver thinks you should cherish the INTIMATE ENEMIES DVD!
Available on 2 disc DVD at Play.com for £11.99 The Algerian War of Independence has been the political backdrop for several award winning exposés that have striven to give meaning to an infamous battle largely considered a horrific waste of many peoples lives. Gillo Pontecorvos seminal THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS was a provocative neorealist take on the event, while Rachid Boucharebs more recent DAYS OF GLORY centred on the men enlisted to liberate the country from the earlier tyrannical rule of the Nazis. In French director Florent Emilio Siris effort INTIMATE ENEMIES the traumatic and psychological effects that this war places on the platoon of French soldiers who fought for it, are brutally exposed in pain-staking detail. Its a fictionalised account, taken from Patrick Rotmans titular book and subsequent documentary, but one that lingers long in the mind due to the careful build-up of all-encompassing tension and graphic realism that is cut sometimes very close to the bone. The terrain that the soldiers must navigate through is a mountainous, rocky landscape that easily camouflages the enemy (who remain eerily invisible for the most part) and who could be mistaken (in two particularly gripping scenes) for the presence of local Algerian women folk. What sets this film apart from the norm is its hauntingly beautiful score, composed against the grain by Siris long time collaborator Alexandre Desplat and the real-time sense of urgency of the mission in general a trait we have come to expect from this director after the likes of UNE MINUTE DE SILENCE and THE NEST. Not one to shy away from delivering on the action front either Siri, who also helmed the kinetic madness of his Bruce Willis staring English-language debut HOSTAGE, provides a slew of brutal and gritty combat sequences which ensure the audience are pitted directly into the action. But more impressive is the in-depth character study that this film provides, particularly in the central character of Lt. Terrien, (Benoit Magimel, a bit of a French Jude Law look-alike). Terrien is the inexperienced replacement for a recently gunned down officer, who chooses to harbour his actions in the most humanistic and moral fashion known to him. To contrast this mindset, battle-hardened Sergeant Dongnac (Albert Dupontel) is openly hostile to insurgents and believes in a tougher approach to war. What remains riveting is how these views develop throughout the film in unconventional ways. Viewers allegiances with either officers p.o.v will shift throughout the film and come into full fruition toward the denouncement, which ultimately will bring about some painful psychological conclusions. EXTRAS An entire extra discs worth of bonus material helping to paint a much broader historical picture than can be mustered in one movie alone. A Directors Vision: Interview with Florent Emilio Siri is an in-depth one hour discussion with the director as he trails through key scenes in the movie, while citing inspirational antidotes from the likes of John Ford westerns to Oliver Stones PLATOON, even Peter Sellers gets a look in for the essence behind one weirdly joyful scene. Next up is Memories of War where three Ex-Serviceman recall in vivid detail the harrowing conflicts they had to endure during the real mission, making for an insightful and startling account of the ordeal. But From Actors to Soldiers is a take it or leave it diversion into the minor supporting cast and how they bonded before filming in order to establish an authenticity to their relationships in the film. Apart from the usual storyboards, photo galleries and trailer the other notable highlight is the Interview Gallery which features individual conversations between director Siri and the likes of his long serving director of photography Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci, (who previously served as a cameraman for the likes of Fellini and Visconti), and composer Desplat. All are commendable time fillers for anyone with a passing interest in the artistic embellishment of this film. OVERALL INTIMATE ENEMIES sits well on your shelf amongst other well selected war movies, but offers nothing terribly new to the terrain. But with the result being no less short than enthralling historical entertainment and with the additional enjoyment of a generous extra discs worth of bonus material, then this is certainly a DVD intimacy that should be cherished.