In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I realise that any review of the subject matter of this TV film will contain bias. The film is loaded against the French decision makers who sanctioned the tests in Northern Africa in the early sixties. Whether it is completely factually true does not matter. It is compelling drama with a central performance that is quite outstanding. The four soldiers who carry the film's message are of mixed French and North African background. Three of them are non commissioned (using UK terminology), the fourth, the nominal leader, is a very young lieutenant who has had training. During the course of the events depicted he transforms from a gung-ho, unquestioning soldier to a disillusioned victim. French cinema should have taken a more serious note of Descour's performance, it is incredibly brilliant, and because the French language is not quite as obvious as English, it has unspoken nuances that beat words. But France is full of young, talented actors.

Such a movie could have been made by Yves Boisset, the most daring director in the french film industry. The only one who talked about dark, nasty affairs in which politics were implicated. A very daring director. Interesting indeed. Fascnating. But this feature is not directed by him. This story tells many interesting and actual events that occurred in the late fifties and early sixties, in the west Sahara, in Algeria, when french government made nuclear tests. In the middle of nowhere, but without taking ANY precautions to protect all the troopers and natives who were around the place where the tests were made.Nasty and horrible facts are told here. Disgusting at the most. French government is shown here as a real nest of criminals. Because of the national security.Terrifying.....