Original subtitles

1960 FRENCH ALGERIA

Hey, you!

Yes, you. Come here!

At ease.

Go inside.

Carry on, gentlemen.

Pick one.

Pick one.

I'm not afraid to die!

Club.

Cover.

You, help me!

Our recovery is proceeding...

What's that?

...national unity has been achieved.

Film operator!

Turn the sound down!

Tests for tonight's screening.

Pick one.

...the difficult problem of Algeria.

For the solution to the Algerian question

is not merely a matter of restoring order

or giving the people the right to self-government.

It is above all a human problem.

The fate of Algerians is in the hands of the Algerians.

Please! Have mercy! I'll talk!

Shut up, Walid!

Die like a man!

Like a man!

You talk or you die.

I'll talk!

You'll tell us everything?

Everything?

Traitor!

Traitor!

Everything will be done

so that the Algerian people

might peacefully pronounce itself.

The decision will be theirs alone!

However,

I am convinced they will make...

Lie down!

Mourad?

Walid?

You okay?

We're fine.

Stay outside!

We're saved, my brother.

Mourad.

We're saved.

Yes.

We're saved.

You begged the French?

Not on my life.

I didn't tell them anything.

Listen.

You die but you don't talk.

You hear me?

You hear me?

You die but you don't talk.

Of course, Mourad.

Of course.

Of course?

Of course.

INFIRMARY

Where's Walid?

- Gone. - What do you mean?

Done with.

The French are all dead?

I saved one for you.

There he is.

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid.

Die.

Be quiet.

I don't believe you.

I don't give a fuck!

No one is innocent.

Not even your kids.

It's simple, I ask questions,

you answer!

Not even your kids.

We'll gouge your kids' eyes out!

You hear me!

You messing around with us?

Is that what you want?

French Verb Tenses

Soua Ly-Yang?

It's Mrs. Delignieres,

the mother of Colonel Simon Delignieres.

Hello, ma'am. Colonel Breitner is asleep.

Yes, I imagine.

Please tell Colonel Breitner I'll drop by tomorrow morning.

- Yes, ma'am. - Wonderful.

Open the door.

Do what I tell you.

Open this door!

Open it!

Why don't you open it yourself?

Go ahead.

Colonel Breitner.

Go get your keys.

Soua.

Give me the right key.

Good day, Colonel. Thank you for seeing me.

Your son could be a prisoner.

High-ranking officers make good bargaining chips.

I don't see why the rebels would want to kill him.

My son is dead, Colonel Breitner.

A mother feels these things.

Several strategic military points

were attacked these past weeks.

Considering the audacity

and efficiency of the raids,

the rebels had very reliable information.

My son had access

to top-secret information.

For me...

he was tortured.

And he talked.

The precise location of the rebel camp is on these maps.

If the army knows the location, why don't they attack?

De Gaulle intends to give Algeria back to the Algerians.

Why endanger more French lives?

That having been said,

we cannot let their barbarian crimes go unpunished.

In less than six days

napalm will have burnt everything.

Only ashes will remain.

And of course,

my son's remains will be gone.

I want you to go to the Aures Mountains.

Find the body

of Colonel Simon Delignieres.

I'm not asking you to bring his corpse back to France.

Leave it in Algeria.

On the other hand,

bring back something personal.

Something

I can put in his coffin.

I'm done with war,

ma'am.

You became a French citizen through the blood you shed, Colonel.

But Soua Ly-Yang

only has a residence permit,

which was granted to her

thanks to the Delignieres' relations.

And...

I presume

you have no desire to see the young woman deported.

Because

you know...

what the Vietnamese will do to her

the second she sets foot on their soil.

Soua Ly-Yang is a Hmong.

Like her people, she fought alongside France.

Her father and brother died for us at Dien Bien Phu.

Instead of thanking them,

this country abandoned them.

Colonel Breitner,

you are newly French.

So,

let me explain two things

about your new fellow countrymen.

They grovel under Occupation,

and shave their women's heads upon Liberation.

And after that...

after that...

they drink...

and forget.

I've chartered a plane to take you to Algiers tomorrow.

Don't come back emptyhanded.

These are passes for the entire territory.

What about the Arab girl?

A commando is after her.

She'll be captured within hours.

Dear Madam, dear Sir,

It is with...

great...

sadness...

Come in!

At your orders, General.

Stand at ease.

General? Seriously?

Brigadier general.

But general all the same.

Beer or soda?

Soda.

I don't know why you accepted this mission.

You'd have been wiser to refuse.

It's worse here than with the slanty eyes.

Worse than Indochina?

It's impossible.

It's very possible when it's as easy to shoot as not to shoot.

And I suppose it's easier to shoot an Arab?

What wouldn't a man do for his country?

Strange greeting from a soldier who killed his officer.

Care to explain?

You know yourself, sir.

You've surely read my file.

So, tell me...

was it worth it?

He shouldn't have ordered me to kill children.

I asked you a question.

Was it worth it?

No.

They killed them anyhow.

And they made me bury them with their parents.

What's your choice?

Staff sergeant.

You want to come on my mission

or wait here to be executed?

If I come,

do I have to kill kids?

Not under my command.

Martillat!

Of course I volunteer.

Anything's better than shovelling shit another year.

Your father died a hero in Indochina.

You're an only child. You could've stayed home with mommy.

Mommy.

I enlisted to outdo him, Colonel.

Outdo him?

In what way?

Come home a hero, but alive.

With me, you have greater chances of dying.

And so what?

Nothing.

One last thing.

On this mission, if you dare disobey

one single order...

you won't come back here.

I'll shoot you on the spot.

Attention!

Present arms!

Arise, children of the Fatherland

Our day of glory has arrived!

Sing!

Arise, children of the Fatherland

Our day of glory has arrived...

Keep your head down!

Against us tyranny

Raises its bloody banner...

Lieutenant Terrail?

Yes.

What happened to the Arab over there?

Attempted escape?

Worse.

He refused to join the choir.

Your package is over there.

Handcuffed to the truck.

Assia Bent Aouda?

What do you want, French soldier?

You and your father were explosives experts.

My father was the expert.

He taught me everything.

Thanks to him, I killed many, many French soldiers.

I need you.

For a mission.

What do you think?

I'm a whore for the French?

Tell me, is this your mother?

You and your father took great pains to make her seem dead.

You managed to fool the army,

not our secret services.

They found your mother in Tunis.

Here's my deal.

You come with me, your mother lives.

You refuse...

they'll chop off her head

and have it delivered to your cell.

It'll keep you company until the war ends.

What's your choice?

Sergeant Ben Brahim,

get ready to translate.

Yes, sir!

Gentlemen,

I am very disappointed.

By your lack of enthusiasm when singing the national anthem

and your mediocre talent as vocalists.

Moreover,

one of you spit during the raising of the flag.

And that,

is unacceptable.

As a consequence,

I am obliged to ignore the Geneva Convention

relative to the treatment of prisoners of war.

They've understood?

Martillat.

Come here.

Senghor, back up the jeep.

Come on.

It's time to undo what you did.

Don't bother clearing them, just mark the spots.

With this.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Wasn't a metal detector easier?

Aouda and her father's specialty were porcelain landmines.

They filled vases and clay pots

with crushed glass and TNT, and then buried them.

A metal detector would have been useless.

Four.

Five.

No!

Don't go near No. 6, child.

Walk on No. 7. It's your lucky number.

May God protect you, my beloved girl.

Thank you, Father.

May God protect you.

Why are we stopping, sir?

"No use shooting, they're too far away.

Let's...

Let's go look for...

our hors...

hors-es."

"The hypo..." Oh damn. "The hypothesis..."

May I have the binoculars, sir?

My finger would pull the trigger automatically.

You'd alert the fells and lose a trustworthy soldier.

Wait for my order to fire.

"...that it might be Pat Cookie..."

Holy shit.

A village. Four men.

Looters. We charge in and kill them.

Soldiers! Soldiers!

- What are you doing, Martillat? - I'm out of bullets.

You could've finished him off nicely with your knife.

Oh, shit.

Do you know the meaning of mercy?

Mercy?

Yes I do, sir.

But when I enlisted, no one talked about pity.

My job was to kill sand-niggers.

End of story.

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid, kids.

He's a French soldier.

No reason to be afraid.

Come with me.

Come on.

Come on. Hurry up.

I'm not dead.

Not yet...

How can you kill children?

It's easy, nigger.

They're not mine.

Got it, nigger?

They're not mine!

They're not yours?

They're not yours?

That's it?

You done?

I don't get it, these are their people.

Why do they do it?

Colonel.

Algerians didn't do this.

From my jeep, they didn't look very French.

Here's an abandoned estate.

We'll set up camp for the night.

And after that?

After that, we walk.

You plan on doing the rest on foot?

We have no choice.

The fells' camp is in a gorge with a natural echo.

The jeeps would be heard for miles.

What will you do with her afterwards?

She's a prisoner of war. I'll turn her in.

If she survives, at least she'll have her mother.

That would surprise me. She's dead.

The paratroopers who found her in Tunis tried to make her talk,

and they went too far.

You promised her.

Promised her?

She's the enemy.

You promised!

She's the enemy.

Not my family.

What's it say?

"French soldier,

loving your army

is denying your mother.

Go back home to her.

Leave Algeria to the Algerians.

The National Liberation Front will win."

Filthy sand-niggers.

Fuck them up the ass.

What if it's boobytrapped?

I was going to check.

What's your name?

Chahida.

What happened here?

Tell me.

You need to eat.

Tomorrow we walk.

Oh yeah, how do I do that?

You know, you're like ourharkis .

What's aharki?

A piece of shit who betrayed his country

to become the French colonists' slave.

So your father was aharki too?

My father was a soldier and amoudjahid .

Your father fought with the French against the Germans.

He even donated a leg to this war.

And France gave him a medal.

What's your point?

The French mistreated your countrymen.

The Germans never hurt you.

So why did your father fight for the French?

He did what he thought was right.

And I don't serve French soldiers.

I'm no Vietnamese slave.

I'm not Vietnamese.

I'm Hmong.

We're a mountain people.

The Vietnamese and the Chinese are our eternal enemies.

What did the French get you?

Nothing.

In the end, they abandoned us.

But Breitner never did.

Breitner is there for me,

and me for him.

Like me,

with my mother.

Eat.

What's wrong, Mourad?

I need to talk to you.

Sit down and speak.

Who's the soldier in the photo?

My father.

A volunteer in World War I.

1st Regiment of Tirailleurs Sénégalais.

Let's see.

The Croix de Guerre and Verdun Medal?

It proves he did the job.

My father is a brave man.

My father was too.

They gave my mother his medal

the day they buried him.

At least yours is still alive.

You think they'd be proud if they saw us?

Honestly, I don't think so.

Too much innocent blood has been shed here.

The Arabs will never forget.

French blood was shed too.

And back home, no one will forget either.

Then the only thing that will never die is this war.

Listen, it's only me and you! Answer me.

Where are you going?

I need to put my feet in the water.

They hurt.

You'll rest when we get there.

Stay here if you want.

But you'll only have God

to guide you to the camp.

Those are the kids we saved.

Two sentinels, one single silencer.

I can get one, but the other will sound the alert.

We need them in full view at the same time.

You have a plan for that?

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid.

You recognize me?

No one's going to hurt you.

But...

you must not scream.

No noise.

You understand?

You understand?

You can remove your hand, sir.

I need the kid.

As bait.

We have no choice.

Why, sir?

Tomorrow at dawn,

the air force will drop cans over the region.

Napalm?

- I don't like this. - What?

Using a kid to finish the mission?

Or not using her and letting napalm burn the other kids?

Yasmine?

Ali?

Esma?

You're the one who stopped by the river?

You can thank God for showing you the way.

I didn't see you in my village.

Nasser!

Mercy, yeah right.

French soldiers!

You're surrounded!

Come out with your hands up!

The next grenades won't make only smoke!

Mourad!

Is that you?

What are you doing, Aouda?

Who's the whore who dared use my first name?

He's Mourad Boukarouba.

If you want to leave alive,

you need to let me talk to him.

Well, whore? Have you lost your tongue?

Answer him.

But don't forget, Senghor speaks Arabic.

One wrong word, you die.

Mourad!

If my father, Mohand Aouda, God bless him,

were here,

he'd cut your tongue for talking to me like that.

Assia!

My niece!

What are you doing with the French?

I'm not with them. I'm their prisoner.

It's your lucky day, my niece.

Tell them if they give themselves up, we won't kill them.

French soldiers!

You have my word!

Is his word worth anything?

Uncle!

They'll only come out

if you give your word as an Algerian.

Tell them not to be afraid.

They have a real Algerian's word.

You can tell them.

Now his word means something.

Chahida.

How are you?

You better not have hurt them.

You okay?

Not too tight, Frenchman?

Yasmine!

They got you, son-of-a-bitch?

Shut up!

Stop it!

Why'd you hit the nigger?

Get away.

Stop.

That bastard killed my sister,

my nieces, all the village girls.

Children, women, old people!

- I'm gonna kill him! - Stop.

I'm gonna kill the nigger today!

- Stop it, Youcef. - No!

I'm gonna kill him!

I'm gonna kill him!

You understand? I'm gonna slit his throat!

Brother, stop it.

I've understood you.

I'll slit your throat!

That's enough!

What's going on here?

Colonel Breitner. Soua.

We'll speak in due course, Colonel.

Youcef.

This man accuses you of killing women and children in his village.

His sister and two nieces were among the victims.

Did you do that?

I killed no children in Agouni Arous.

He's lying.

Maybe, but you killed their parents and grandparents.

Colonel.

The kids.

- What? - The kids.

The children over there.

Staff Sergeant Senghor saved them.

I know.

They told us. My men were on the attackers' trail.

Okay then.

You owe him at least those lives.

Wait, wait!

Wait!

If I give you essential information for you and your men,

do I have your officer's word that you'll let him live?

You have my word as a French officer.

But you'll have to prove it's true.

In my bag.

Napalm.

Precisely.

At dawn tomorrow.

You know what Albert Camus said?

He said: "I believe in justice,

but I will defend my mother before justice."

For me it's the same.

I defend my men before justice.

Always.

Kill him.

It's okay, sir.

It's only right.

Now you bury him.

Why would I bury him?

When the French massacred your villagers, they buried them.

You wanted justice, now dig that damned hole!

Understood?

Who's the girl?

The daughter of Si Omar.

So you're Assia Bent Aouda.

The nigger died with dignity and calm.

I hope you'll follow his example.

Very well.

Uncuff him.

Stand back!

What's that about, colonel?

You gave your officer's word.

Good Lord, open your eyes.

Look around. Look which side I'm on!

Are you naive?

You think my word as a French officer has any value?

Mourad.

If the colonel gets aggressive again,

cut the woman's hand off.

Stop looking at me like that and spit it out.

With all due respect, Colonel...

you're a bastard who betrayed his country and family.

How could I have betrayed my country, since Algeria is France?

And my family only loves its sons as dead heroes.

We need to find a solution. I don't want to kill you.

Mother, don't cry

Your children are lions

They watch over you

Oh, Mother

We die only from bowing

Before the enemy who colonizes us

For Algeria, we will be martyrs

He was nice.

He saved my life.

He was nice?

For how many bad ones?

He saved you,

but how many of our brothers did he kill?

Did you think of that?

Listen.

If you must cry,

cry for your parents first.

And for all those killed by France.

Do you understand me?

He saved me.

It wasn't the French who killed my parents.

It was Arabs.

It's true.

It wasn't the French.

But it wasn't Arabs either.

You know,

they were dogs.

You buried the nigger?

And now you feel better?

Tell the colonel who you are.

Tell him.

I loved France.

Deeply.

This...

is how she thanked me.

I fought for your country.

At Monte Cassino.

And in Indochina.

I returned to my village.

Wounded, yes.

But certain that

my spilt blood had earned me the right to be French.

Your services tortured me for two days.

On the third,

they finally called my barracks.

They freed me.

They apologized.

Before that,

I shined French officers' boots so well

they could see their reflection.

Today,

I kill French soldiers.

I let their blood flow

and gaze at my reflection.

Let me tell you something,

Youcef.

When you fight a war and lose,

you don't take your shirt off before men to weep.

You see, Colonel,

it's your attitude that got us where we are today.

Our disdain for these people,

our disgust for their culture and religion,

and since we don't like it, we kill them.

You and I did the same in Indochina.

Yes, and we gave it our all.

Me, a native Frenchman,

out of duty to my homeland.

And you, to get French papers!

Honestly,

which of us is worse?

All that horror for what?

We've made these people

as crazy and barbarian as us!

Admit that it fills one with consternation!

I changed sides, but so what? We've won this war.

But what did we really win?

I've dirtied and degraded myself, but if I kill today,

at least I'm on the right side!

When you make the army your career,

you put your feelings aside.

It's the price to pay,

Colonel.

I'm going to make an honest proposal,

and it's in your interest to accept.

Otherwise, you'll see what I'm capable of

when I put my feelings aside.

Brother, what are you doing here?

What's wrong, Uncle?

Why did you bring the French here?

I didn't bring them.

They knew where to find you.

And you let them capture you?

You didn't fight?

Why not?

Why not, my niece?

Look at you.

Look at you.

So beautiful, but so frail.

You couldn't do a thing.

Give me a hug.

Give me a hug!

The Frenchman Breitner,

did he leave any backup soldiers?

Dirty whore!

We questioned the kids.

They said you were five.

Five, dirty whore!

And the fifth one

has a tattoo on his face.

You forgot about him?

Traitress.

Bitch!

Traitress!

I haven't finished with you.

Not yet.

Brothers! Come here!

Pack up your things.

We must leave before dawn.

Go on.

Move it!

Give this to my mother as proof of your success.

I can't.

Take this trinket and leave with Soua!

Go get the Chink.

Have you made up your mind?

Cut off her ears.

Stop moving!

Stop moving.

That's enough, stop!

Be clearer, Colonel.

Okay, I accept your deal.

I accept it.

I have your officer's word?

You have my officer's word.

There we go.

Let her go. Go get their things.

Colonel.

A Frenchie...

What are you doing here?

What's going on?

She betrayed us.

- They have a backup soldier. - Of course they do!

I don't care. They're leaving.

Is there a problem, Colonel?

How about you, Youcef?

You're okay with this?

I didn't betray.

Everything's there, even your arms.

Proof of my trust in your officer's word.

My men will take you to the gorge entrance.

You should find your way from there.

Give me the gun.

Look at the Frenchman you helped.

He's leaving you behind.

Keep moving!

Move it.

You're nothing but a whore to him.

Me...

I'll die as an Algerian, Mourad.

But you...

you'll live like a dog

to serve the Frenchman who holds you.

I serve the Frenchman as long as it serves my war.

Dirty nigger.

You weren't supposed to be here.

I gave you precise orders.

I know, sir.

So you're going to let them get away with it?

For me, the mission is over.

Do you still know the meaning of mercy, Colonel?

What did you say?

Do you know the meaning of mercy?

That's what you asked me earlier.

I thought you came here to kill Arabs.

Aren't you glad they're killing each other off?

No.

I came to Algeria to outdo my father in Indochina.

He'd never have left a tortured woman behind.

You think you'll get a medal for saving afellagha ?

I don't think anything.

But I didn't come here to do worse than my father.

What are you doing?

She helped us. We owe her this much.

Mohamed! Get the colonel!

Why'd you come back, Frenchman?

To die?

What the hell are you doing here, Breitner?

Let her go.

Where are Khafir and Youcef?

I don't see Soua either.

Khafir and Youcef are dead.

If I recall correctly, Soua didn't know how to use a rifle.

She still doesn't.

That's one of our snipers.

Go on.

Take another step, Boukarouba.

The next one's for your head.

Good job, Colonel.

Untie her.

Do it!

I'm astounded, Colonel.

You betrayed your officer's word.

For that!

No one move!

If anyone fires, I'll kill them!

Breitner! Colonel Breitner!

I'm fine, Soua.

Everything's fine.

I have no war to win.

I'm useless.

Even Assia...

I wasn't able to save her.

So,

dying here...

would be a blessing.

But you?

Boukarouba?

You want to die here?

With me?

Or do you have things to do?

French soldier...

I have a war to win.

I have a people to free!

I cannot die today.

Then,

what are you waiting for?

Brothers, we're leaving!

You, come with me.

This film is dedicated to the Algerian people

and to the 1 and a half million young Frenchmen,

drafted and recalled, who'd asked for nothing.

THE BREITNER COMMANDO