Wick's Review

Summary - Very Good 3.5

Turns out the French Resistance wasn’t entirely French, with the Nazis dubbing one largely foreign group The Army of Crime. More legitimately known as the Manouchian Group, they were spectacularly effective in metro Paris during 1943, a feat inadvertently highlighted by the Nazi propaganda poster shown here.

The Army of Crime brings their exploits to life, showing how a rag-tag bunch of poets, kids and outsiders became an effective fighting force in the heart of Nazi-occupied France.

War movie fans in general and those interested in WWII France in particular will find The Army of Crime an enlightening movie, one that brings overdue attention to a brave and intrepid group of freedom fighters.

Acting - Great 4.0

The large and accomplished French cast are uniformly excellent.

Film - Very Good 3.5

Robert Guédiguian wisely starts his film with a recitation of the names of the Manouchian Group members, following each with the benediction “He died for France.” The import of this sinks in over the course of the film when it becomes clear that most of them weren’t native to France.

Edge - Sordid 3.2

Life during wartime. Beware the torture scenes, especially when French collaborators turn a blowtorch on a prisoner. Savage indeed.

Reality - Glib 1.1

Missak Manouchian, a poet who became a resistance commander, led the group that bore his name. Born of Armenian parentage in Turkey, he died for France, as did the 22 others in his group: eight Poles, five Italians, three Hungarians, two Armenians, a Spaniard, three French and a Romanian. Eleven were Jewish. [Source: Wikipedia]

Politically, the movie highlights the false consciousness that predominated in WWII Europe: an ideological choice limited to Nazism on one hand and Communism on the other. Thank goodness the Americans came to the rescue, not only defeating Hitler’s minions, but showing that liberty of thought and economics is humanity’s most powerful force. It took longer, but Communism too finally fell into the dustbin of history.

Finally, the Nazis called the Manouchian Group terrorists. Wrong. Terrorists intentionally target civilians as a matter of strategy. Legitimate warfighters – regular or irregular – go out of their way to avoid civilian casualties. Simple.

1 Comment

• Wick Mar 7, 2011 8:39PM

  Regarding BigdaddyDave’s Review
  Wow BigD. Great recommendation.

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