A Frenchman of Algerian descent, Rachid Bouchareb is a filmmaker unafraid to make enemies in his homeland by making controversial films about his ancestral home. His new film, Oscar-nominated epic **Outside The Law **was greeted a storm of protest when it debuted on Cannes last summer.
This clip may not give an insight into what those thousand or so angry Frenchmen were protesting about - the movie's recreation of the Sétif massacre - but it's handy flavour of the story, which is pitched somewhere between The Battle Of Algiers and Mesrine.
The clip shows the film's leads, three Algeria brothers. They're wheeler-dealer Saïd (Jamel Debbouze), ex-serviceman Messaoud (Roschdy Zem) and Abdelkader (Sami Bouajila), a man increasingly drawn to the Algerian independence moviement in France. Together they vow to fight against the colonial powers using whatever means are necessary.
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Bouchareb himself may not be the heir apparent to Gillo Pontecorvo's crown as the chronicler of France's bitter history in North Africa, but 2006's Days Of Glory proved that he's a filmmaker who can tackle a complex story with panache. He's obviously not afraid to make audiences choke on their croissants either. See for yourself on May 6 when Outside The Law lands in UK cinemas.
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