Review of Days of Glory (2006) by Jl R — 30 Jul 2008

The character development could have used some more help. I found it difficult at times to care about these men and their trials. The one I felt for in the end was Yassir.

The movie slogged its way across France at a pace that made me feel every minute of the two hours it took to get to the end. The director could really use some help in how armies actually work. If I were a French or Algerian soldier that survived the war, I would be somewhat offended that we were portrayed as people who only had a talent for dying and wandering aimlessly about the French countryside.

There were some "chapters" that made sense and you could see clearly that the Muslim soldiers who had volunteered to fight for France, were discriminated against. No matter the injustice, they fought on, occasionally questioning why, but in the end doing the duty that they'd sworn to do. They fought, they bled, and died for France. The final commentary was the sad state in which the last survivor found himself 60 years later; a small, one room apartment and no pension. France should pay the pensions owed to these men who fought for France's freedom.

Comparing to "Saving Private Ryan" is apples and oranges. It was a tighter more cohesive story.