What It’s About: Italian filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo recreates the Algerian War, focusing on a French colonel (Jean Martin) tasked with destroying the Algerian rebellion and an Algerian (Brahim Hadjadj) petty criminal who joins the revolution and rises to become one of its leaders.

Why Watch it Today?: France and Algeria signed a truce today in 1962, ending the Algerian War.  The Battle of Algiers is not a documentary, but thanks to Pontecorvo’s skillful direction and an excellent cast, it feels like one.  Even knowing  the outcome of the events, the film is gripping, fascinating viewing, and extremely informative-as late as 2003 the U.S. Army was screening it for officers.

Where to Get It:  Netflix,  or Amazon