Movie · 2006 · Drama, History, War · 2h 8m · R · French
Curator score: 6.0/10 (22.5K ratings)
The true story of World War II's forgotten heroes.
Overview
1943. They have never stepped foot on French soil but because France was at war, Said, Abdelkader, Messaoud and Yassir enlist in the French Army, along with 130,000 other “indigenous” soldiers, to liberate the “fatherland” from the Nazi enemy. Heroes that history has forgotten…
Ratings
Curator score: 6.0/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.50/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 82
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Rachid Bouchareb
Production
Tessalit Productions, France 2 Cinéma, France 3 Cinéma, StudioCanal, SCOPE Invest, Tassili Films
Cast
Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Mathieu Simonet, Assaad Bouab, Benoît Giros, Mélanie Laurent, Antoine Chappey, Aurélie Eltvedt, Thomas Langmann, Thibault de Montalembert, Diouc Koma, Philippe Beglia, Momo Debbouze, Abdelkim Bouchareb, Abdelhamid Idjaini
Curator Review
Verdict
A strong, emotionally pointed war drama with real historical weight: it centers North African soldiers fighting for France and the racism they face before, during, and after combat. It can lean on familiar battlefield-drama beats, but the ensemble performances and the film’s corrective historical perspective make it worthwhile.
Best for
Viewers interested in overlooked WWII stories
Fans of ensemble war dramas with social critique
People drawn to historical films about colonialism and discrimination
Audiences who like earnest, performance-driven prestige dramas
Skip if
You want a highly original or formally daring war film
You are tired of conventional battlefield melodrama
You prefer lighter pacing or a more intimate character study
Overview
Days of Glory is a war film with a clear moral purpose: it restores attention to the North African soldiers who fought for France and were then denied the dignity they earned. That historical focus gives the film real force, especially as it moves from recruitment and camaraderie into the grinding reality of prejudice, sacrifice, and expendability.
Worth noting
The movie is at its best when it lets the ensemble breathe. The four central soldiers feel distinct, and the performances carry a lot of the emotional burden. It is less successful when it reaches for familiar war-movie flourishes, but even those moments rarely blunt the impact of the story it is telling.
Bottom line
What lingers is the film’s anger at historical erasure. It is not just a WWII drama; it is a reminder that heroism is often selectively remembered. For viewers open to a serious, socially conscious war picture, it lands strongly.
Top Letterboxd reviews
teamgal (3.5★) · 27 likes
Although this WWII drama doesn't shy away from clichés — slow motion battlefield heroics, poetically billowing smoke, plaintiff music, even some pan flute — once it maps out its central characters, a group of North African soldiers who fought for France, this becomes quite something. The ensemble, who shared the Best Actor honor at the Cannes Film Festival, help elevate the material, while director Rachid Bouchareb excels at giving them the time necessary to carve out their separate identities. The… more Although this WWII drama doesn't shy away from clichés — slow motion battlefield heroics, poetically billowing smoke, plaintiff music, even some pan flute — once it maps out its central characters, a group of North African soldiers who fought for France, this becomes quite something. The ensemble, who shared the Best Actor honor at the Cannes Film Festival, help elevate the material, while director Rachid Bouchareb excels at giving them the time necessary to carve out their separate identities. The… more
⚰️⛓️ (2.5★) · 21 likes
all quiet on the western front: racism edition
Thornhill (3.5★) · 18 likes
War nicht ohne Grund für den Auslandsoskar nominiert und ist, gerade im letzten Drittel, echt harter Tobak. Für den ganz großen Wurf fehlt es mir zuweilen etwas an Emotionen. Aber damit bist Du im Krieg ohnehin immer gamz schlecht bedient.
Roberts Kulenko (2★) · 15 likes
War is hell, you fight for a country that doesn't give a shit about you but then you get to milk a cow together with Mélanie Laurent.
These characters deserve a better movie.
avalikeamovie · 13 likes
watched in french class. not gonna lie i wasn’t paying attention for the first half but the last half was sad as fuck #war #death #DEPRESSING