The Assault

On December 24th 1994, four heavily armed terrorists from the Algerian Armed Islamic Group hijacked the Air France plane Flight 8969, bound for Paris at Algiers Airport. After two passengers are shot dead and thrown out of the aircraft the hijackers were allowed to fly to Marseille for refuelling. The hijackers were hoping, in an eerie foretelling of 9/11, to get the plane to Paris where they would crash it into the Eiffel Tower. Feeling that they had no choice and having to act fast to save lives the French government sent in the, National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, commonly known in France as the GIGN, to storm the plane and free the passengers. What followed was a dramatic and bloody shoot out.

This French film Assault is a dramatization of those events. Using real life footage the film, is it a very accurate telling of the story, only taking dramatic licence with some of the characters involved. If you like that or dislike that it doesn't really matter because the real story is more than enough to keep you hooked and under the direction of Julien Leclercq it is told in a fast paced and tension filled style. It is an excellent film that shows the story from three angles, inside the aircraft, the planning by the GIGN and the infighting taking place in the Government as they decide what to do, culminating with the storming of the plane. This is an excellent French movie that deserves a wider audience that captures brilliantly one of Frances most dramatic events on home soil since world war 2. Enjoy, its out blu ray and DVD NOW!!!