Deserter

2002 • 94 minutes

About this movie

Set against the sweeping landscapes of North Africa during the 1960's Algerian fight for independence from France, Deserter is a tense Foreign Legion drama starring Tom Hardy (Inception, Warrior, Dark Knight Rises). Deserter is the gritty true story of an idealistic young English gentleman, Simon Murray (Paul Fox), who is driven to join the French Foreign Legion after a failed romance. Simon's romantic illusions are soon shattered when he encounters his fellow recruits, including Dupont (Tom Hardy), who have all volunteered to escape a past far less innocent than Simon's. A sadistic training routine forges the recruits together. As fully-fledged Legionnaires they set out to do battle against the insurgents and face deadly firefights among the villages, hills and deserts of North Africa. But when French President De Gaulle grants Algerian independence, the Legion sides with the "Pied Noir" French Nationalists against mother France. Loyalties are torn apart. Comrade is turned against comrade. Simon and Dupont must face each other across a moral divide, their conscience dictating their actions; blurring the distinction between hero and deserter.