Critic Reviews

• Dave Calhoun, Time Out

  Ferroukhi fails to communicate much of the fear and paranoia of living in an occupied city.

• Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times

  A cannily shot thriller.

• 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.

• Mark Feeney, Boston Globe

  Rahim has the eyes of the young Mandy Patinkin. If only he had some of the wildness.

• 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.

• A.O. Scott, New York Times

  A worthy and interesting chapter to the tradition of World War II dramas of conscience.

• Philip French, Observer [UK]

  They are people worth knowing about and pondering in our present, conflicted times.

• Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

  [A] socially nutritious, unimpeachably competent, but shapeless and sluggish wartime drama about the little-known collaboration between North African immigrants and the French Resistance.

• MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher

  I kept hoping to get caught up in it in more than a coolly intellectual way, but that never happened.

• Steve Rose, Guardian [UK]

  The tension doesn't grip as it should, but it's a worthwhile reminder of a moment of Muslim-Jewish co-operation.

• Antonia Quirke, Financial Times

  Free Men tells the little-known true story of a mosque in Paris that sheltered Jewish citizens hiding from the authorities during the second world war.

• Adam Woodward, Little White Lies

  Passionate if insubstantial period piece. Rahim is the real deal, though.

• Tim Evans, Sky Movies

  It's a quietly thoughtful film that eschews cheap sentimentality and - through the assured performance of Rahim - demonstrates that good can come from the most unlikely places.

• Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

  Enjoyable French wartime drama that brings a new perspective to a familiar story and features a compelling central performance from Tahar Rahim, but the plot is occasionally frustrating and appears to lack direction.

• David Hughes, Empire Magazine

  It may lack the punch of his turn in A Prophet, but Rahim again dominates the screen in an effective wartime thriller.

• Tom Dawson, Total Film

  Modest in both budget and impact, it's nonetheless intelligently executed...

• Miles Fielder, The List

  Loosely based on real events, this espionage drama set during World War II focuses on the largely overlooked cooperation between Arabic immigrants and the French Resistance.

• Kelly Vance, East Bay Express

  One of those espionage/war movies in which the usual thrilling chases and shootouts take a back seat to the transformations that occur in the protagonists' minds.

• , Boston Phoenix

  Ferroukhi evokes the unusual setting of his film, the Arab community in war-time Paris, with specificity and brooding atmosphere.

Read all 19 critic reviews