Watch Nothing to Report For Free

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This movie is not just a basic war film. It does not show habitual war scenes, fights or other spectacular events. It depicts the different ways that the three main characters (an anarchist, a communist, and a "common" guy) will choose to follow during the Algerian war. The anarchist and the communist are forced by law to engage to the army (the french army was still a conscription army), but this war goes against all their political conviction. The "common" guy has no sense of politics, and although he is not a war enthusiast, he don't show opposition to the war. The three will eventually became friends. The "common" guy will quickly became politically tainted by the two others.The film is only about one question : what are you willing to lose, to stay within your conscience ?Would you chose to obey, and kill peoples that you don't know, and that you can't blame for anything ? Would you rebel against your own society, sacrificing yourself, your life, your parents, love and children, and everything you owns for the only sake of not betraying your inner self and convictions ?Sad and intelligent movie. With humor elements, and some side elements of reflection.Note that this film was "remaked" by Kubrick, with "full metal jacket", although Kubrick did lost some significant things, FMJ being a bit obscure.

The Algeria war was a taboo subject for about ten years.Then at the beginning of the seventies ,came Claude Berri's "le pistonné" ,Yves Boisset's "RAS " and the best of them "avoir 20 ans dans les Aurès" by René Vautier.Boisset's movie is a good work which ,although his characters may seem stereotyped (there's a commie,a pacifist,an anarchist,a sadistic warrant officer...),still deeply touches the audience today.Some scenes are very well directed;the riot in the station where the crowd tries to stop the train,the brothel in a tent in the desert..The most satisfying part is the second one,because of Philippe Leroy's sensational part of commandant Lecoq.This is a clever officer.He tries to treat his men as men ,to leave them the right to argue ,in a nutshell he's a human soldier although he seems as cold as ice.....and the commie (Jacques Weber) quickly realizes that he is the most dangerous of them all...Can that be a clean war? a human soldier?A noble cause?The final pictures are an act of rebellion,and the audience sides with the deserter (Jacques Spiesser)A beautiful song (Leny Escudero) opens the movie.

I saw this movie in 1977 in of all places Olongapo City in the Philippines while waiting for my girlfriend to get off work. This film deals with a unit of French draftees sent to fight in Algeria in the late 1950's. It is an anti-war story dealing the viewer the usual ironies, hypocracies and heartbreaks. Think of "Go Tell the Spartans", it's similar in theme. Since we know that France eventually pulled out of Algeria in 1962, all the efforts of the troops in this film are for nought. The action is mild with much verbal sparring about war, colonialism and patriotism. The most redeeming part of this film is the military equipment used. If you are a militaria buff, especially of the post WWII era, this movie is interesting. We see Spahi and Senegalese units, the various French uniforms of the era, and most fun for me, lots of MAS 36 rifles (which happens to be my favorite weapon). Since this film does not appear to be on tape or DVD, we may never see it in the USA-pity too. Not a great movie, but entertaining for military buffs.