Given the recent influx in terrorist-themed cinematic entertainment, HBO’s Homeland and Hajaig’s Cleanskin for want of immediate examples, the conclusion could be made that global audiences are now desensitised by the reality of religious extremism. Has our tolerance increased to the point where we invite such movies, or is it that these movies force audiences to be more tolerant? Or to put it simply, chicken or the egg?
Instantly compared to Greengrass’s United 93, Julien Leclercq’s The Assault re-plots a pivotal event in French history. On the Eve of Christmas, 1994, a group of heavily armed GIA (Armed Islamic Group) terrorists hijacked an Air France aircraft set to depart from civil-war-stricken Algiers and bound for Paris. With the events said to foreshadow the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the fuel-laden airbus, acting as a missile and carrying neigh-on two hundred and thirty innocents, was targeted for a French Landmark, reportedly the Eiffel Tower.
Leclercq’s second feature effectively juggles three narrative strands concurrently and pays unique attention to character development in the meantime. As well as the four extremist “soldiers of God” who are never really vilified, The Assault elevates the role of the overassertive, Carrie Mathison-esque Foreign Ministry analyst, Carole (Melanie Bernier). As the only operational female, she struggles to prove her worth and injects herself into a procedure lead by government alphas. This French/Arabic language film balances the intensity of subject matter with a personal look into the life of GIGN trooper, Thierry (Vincent Elbaz). Heading a team of elite troops waiting on the green light to storm the aircraft during a refuelling in Marseille, father Thierry seems to be dealing with emotional issues beyond his call to arms.
On a final note, The Assault demonstrates the necessary urgency (given its theme) through its frantic camerawork and throbbing soundtrack. With a desaturated colour palette to add, it is presumable that the action thriller gives way to style over content. However, this is not the case as the nearly black & white aesthetics closer identify the events as belonging to history. The oscillation between slow and fast paced editing upholds the intensity that makes for an engrossing reconstruction of the immediacy of real life events.
Released on Blu-Ray and DVD August 6th. Cert. 15
