Intimate Enemies (L'ennemi Intime)

On November 1, 1954, after 130 years of French presence,

the National Liberation Front (FLN) launched an insurgency in Algeria.

Faced with the FLN's resolve to negotiate independence,

France responded by sending in 500,000 young conscripts.

In 1959, despite UN criticism,

France stepped up military operations in Algeria.

INTIMATE ENEMIES

July 1959. Somewhere in Kabylia...

Sparrowhawk, this is Chamois.

Do you read me?

Chamois, this is Sparrowhawk. Read you loud and clear.

We'll be at 18-35 in 10 minutes. Over.

Read you five-by-five, Sparrowhawk.

We'll cover you from behind at 17-35 in 30 minutes. Out.

Roger. Over and out.

Constantin wants a pincer movement here.

No good here, sergeant.

Fire!

Fuck! I'm hit.

It's nothing. Put this on and return to your position!

Sergeant!

Sparrowhawk, this is Chamois. We've engaged enemy at 18-25.

I repeat: Enemy at 18-25.

Watch out! They're falling back in your direction!

They're already here! They're hitting us with machine guns!

A wounded man!

Tillois's been hit!

Cease fire! It's Dougnac.

Cease fire. They're ours!

Cease fire!

It's Dougnac. They're ours.

They're ours!

Why the fuck aren't you at 17-35?

Lt. Constantin positioned us. Major's orders.

He's way off. Where's the moron?

Up there.

Constantin!

Shit!

Mazel Outpost.

Attention!

Present arms!

Lt. Constantin,

in the name of the President

and by virtue of the powers vested in me,

I name you knight in the Legion of Honor.

We award you the Cross of Military Valor.

You volunteered.

Congratulations.

You could've had a desk job in Algiers.

- What do you do in civilian life? - Industrial designer.

For a first assignment,

you're starting off in a tough situation.

You're replacing a dead man.

What rotten luck Constantin had.

It was his last mission.

He was supposed to go home today.

You have the remotest sector.

A unit of 100 fellaghas is giving us a hard time there.

It's led by an ex-WWII sergeant in De Lattre's army. Name's Slimane.

He's hiding somewhere in these mountains.

You're to track him down.

Locate his unit so we can destroy it.

How'd they ambush Constantin?

His time had come, that's all.

Get yourself cleaned up, lieutenant.

Sgt. Dougnac will take you to your quarters.

I'm returning to CP.

Tomorrow you comp to Taida.

Fellaghas were sighted there last night.

Yes, sir.

Mission to Taida. Edge of Forbidden Zone.

Down there...

With the boy, by the sheep.

That's Zarah, my cousin. Next to her is Amar,

her son.

- That your village? - Taida...

We control it by day,

the fellaghas control it by night.

A collector comes for the revolutionary tax every 2 weeks.

They pay it?

If they don't...

See that old man

sitting on the rock?

He's the lookout.

The fellaghas cut off his nose and lips for smoking.

Smoking is forbidden.

So you see, sir, everyone pays.

They have no choice.

Chief! Chief!

So, Meziane...

Nothing to report?

They came last night.

They took the food... bread, beans, everything.

You're too generous.

- They didn't take guns? - Guns, here? No, chief.

No bullshit. I know the fellaghas have a stash here.

Question everyone. Search all the houses!

Lefranc, Lacroix at 10 o'clock. Maheu, Zunino at 12 o'clock.

No one knows anything here.

Fuck off!

So, cousin,

has Slimane been here?

- Where are the guns? - We saw nothing.

Amar, was your brother with Slimane?

He didn't see anything.

I'm talking to your son.

My brother... he'll kill you.

That's enough!

He's bullshitting us, sir.

Not my son. Leave him alone.

He's not hurting anyone. He didn't see anything.

Sir!

Tell them, Rashid.

The boy was away. His brother's a fellagha.

He must've seen him.

Bring him. I'll make him talk.

Leave him to me.

No, a boy stays with his mother.

Fall in. We're moving out.

Move out!

We'll be back, Meziane.

Next time, tell the truth. Or you know what'll happen...

- 40 on Rougier. - I bet 20.

Shit!

- Give me a light? - Hold on.

Watch this.

Give it to her in the tits!

Bull's eye!

So who's the ace of spades? Yours truly.

Attention!

Skip it.

No saluting in the canteen.

Carry on, gentlemen.

Got any lemonade?

This isn't kindergarten, sir. But let me check.

You know: "A non-drinking officer is no soldier"?

In that case... Drinks all around.

The lieutenant's buying.

Let's hear it for the lieutenant...

You shouldn't wear your bars.

Gold draws lead out there.

I propose a toast to Lt. Constantin.

To Lt. Constantin!

Second mission to Taida.

Wait, wait.

Forward. Single file.

This way's longer but no one'll see us coming.

You sure of your information?

Tell the lieutenant what your cousin told you.

She said the collector comes today.

Go check things out. Take Lounes.

Rashid's a good soldier.

Like all ex-fellaghas, he knows the terrain.

He rallied to our side?

We rallied him.

- And you trust him? - Don't worry.

He's in up to his eyeballs.

We missed the collector. Everyone's gone.

The village looks empty.

Rashid...

It happened last night.

The fellaghas must have expected us.

It's not random savagery.

They wanted to make an example for the other villages. Understand?

You'll be okay.

It's over. It's over.

You'll be fine.

Attention!

At ease.

Men...

It's hard for me...

I can't find the words to...

What the lieutenant means...

is that what you saw at Taida...

you must never forget.

Fall out.

Mission in the Forbidden Zone.

Sir...

At 12 o'clock.

Lefranc...

Radio contact with Chamois!

Chamois, this is Authority.

Authority, this is Chamois.

Don't shoot. They're women.

Negative.

In the Zone, orders are: if it moves, shoot it.

You don't fire on unarmed women...

Goddammit, Dougnac!

I gave you an order! What got into you?

Women here go barefoot.

You couldn't know.

Nice work, sergeant.

Fall in. We continue the mission. Objective: Meshta Rehki.

Why are you in the Forbidden Zone?

Where's Slimane?

What'd he say?

- That he saw no one. - He's lying.

He's a fellagha. We fought together.

Me not fellagha.

Long live De Gaulle!