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The Assault: A film by Julien LeClercq, starring Vincent Elbaz, Gregori Derangere & Melanie Bernier
On December 24, 1994, when four heavily armed terrorists from the Algerian Armed Islamic Group hijacked an Air France plane, Flight 8969, bound for Paris at Algiers’ airport, the 227 passengers on board seemed destined for tragedy. After hours of tireless negotiations the plane was granted permission to leave only to head to Marseille for refueling.
Mindfully avoiding politics and emphasizing only the events themselves, THE ASSAULT weaves together the violent and claustrophobic onboard drama, with backstories of the tough SWAT officer and father Thierry (Vincent Elbaz), the determined jihadist from the slums of Algiers (Aymen Saidi), and an overly ambitious French Interior Ministry worker.
Action-savvy director Julien Leclercq (CHRYSALIS) boldly returns with this taut, real-life thriller that culminates in an explosive gun-wielding standoff, which, at the time, aired live in front of an audience of 21 million television viewers. Leclercq seamlessly intertwines this harrowing real-life footage, heightening the stakes while driving home this heroic but foreboding event in French history.
Extras: Trailer
View the trailer here:
DVD Tech specs: Cert: 15 / Feature Running Time: 88 min approx / Region 2 / Feature Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 / Colour PAL / Dual Layer/ Audio: Dolby 5.1 / Stereo 2.0/ French language with English Subtitles / Cat No: OPTD2450 / RRP: £15.99
BLURAY Tech specs: Cert: 15 / Feature Running Time: 88 min approx / Region B / Feature Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 / BD50/ Colour / Audio: DTS Master Audio / French language with English Subtitles / Cat No: OPTBD2450 / RRP: £19.99
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.