Les hommes libres 2011

A.O. Scott, New York Times: A worthy and interesting chapter to the tradition of World War II dramas of conscience. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Anyone expecting an Arabic Army of Shadows will be disappointed; if a muted, moodier approach to the material befits the social-issue subtext, it also severely dampens the tension and pacing that makes these films thrum. Read more

Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times: A cannily shot thriller. Read more

Alison Willmore, AV Club: Free Men offers a pleasing historical escape via a story of everyone setting aside religious, colonial, and ethnic divides to unite against the Nazis. Read more

Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: Rahim has the eyes of the young Mandy Patinkin. If only he had some of the wildness. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: The film benefits greatly from Rahim's subtle, effective performance; and it's inevitably heartening to see Jewish and Muslim Algerians identify themselves in national, not ethnic or religious, terms, while fighting a common enemy. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: "Free Men" is so-so, but it is driven by a mischievously interesting idea: that Muslims and Jews have more in common than they normally allow. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: Ferroukhi fails to communicate much of the fear and paranoia of living in an occupied city. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: A satisfying wartime espionage drama focused on little-noted intersections between Arabic emigres and the French Resistance. Read more

Benjamin Mercer, Village Voice: Free Men never feels like a movie about a developing conscience, due largely to the shallowness of the protagonist as written and, by extension, Rahim's portrayal... Read more