75
New York Post by Kyle Smith
So gripping and focused that it easily bests Hollywood movies with 50 times its budget.
The Assault (L'Assaut)
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- France
- 2011
- · 88m
Director
Julien Leclercq
Cast
Vincent Elbaz,
Grégori Derangère,
Mélanie Bernier,
Aymen Saïdi,
Chems Dahmani,
Mohid Abid
Genre
Action,
Drama,
Thriller
The Assault is an action packed thriller based on a haunting true story. In 1994, Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked by Algerian fundamentalist terrorists. The tense, fast-paced drama follows the SWAT team tasked with saving the 227 hostages on board.
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What are critics saying?
70
Village Voice
Taut, forceful, ritualistic, and all those other flattering adjectives applied to thrillers that actually thrill, this skyjacking docudrama showcases yet another genre (in addition to shock horror) the French are kicking our asses in.
70
Village Voice by Mark Holcomb
Taut, forceful, ritualistic, and all those other flattering adjectives applied to thrillers that actually thrill, this skyjacking docudrama showcases yet another genre (in addition to shock horror) the French are kicking our asses in.
63
Slant Magazine
The Assault raises many more questions than it answers, and its overall objective is puzzling and remains shrouded in political agenda.
63
Slant Magazine by Robert Tumas
The Assault raises many more questions than it answers, and its overall objective is puzzling and remains shrouded in political agenda.
60
Variety
The tense buildup to a blazing, if generic, rescue is the most satisfying part of The Assault, a stylized combo of action and drama from Julien Leclercq.
60
Variety by Boyd van Hoeij
The tense buildup to a blazing, if generic, rescue is the most satisfying part of The Assault, a stylized combo of action and drama from Julien Leclercq.
58
The A.V. Club
Brisk and technically efficient, The Assault is a dull film based on a real event that certainly wasn't.
58
The A.V. Club by Alison Willmore
Brisk and technically efficient, The Assault is a dull film based on a real event that certainly wasn't.
50
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
In place of emotional stakes, we get gleaming, stylized, occasionally slow-motion violence, filmed in such extreme close-ups and cramped spaces that it's impossible to differentiate gunman and victim.
40
Time Out by David Fear
Despite toggling among the three characters' story lines, the film is barely concerned with the who, what or where of the incidents, much less a deeper why. It simply wants to milk this real-life example of courage (and chaos) under fire for multiplex thrills, reducing everything to a cheap adrenaline rush set to a pulsing soundtrack.
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