An Algerian family struggles for freedom in this lavish historical drama from filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb. Opening with a preface in which French colonists force an Algerian family from their home in 1925, the film jumps forward to 1945, as Allied forces announce their victory in Europe. The news coincides with a demonstration in Setif, in which Algerians demand their independence from France. Said is more interested in boxing than politics, but when his father is killed and his brother Abdelkader is arrested by French troops during the protest, his attitude begins to change. In 1953, Said makes a living running a bar and looking after a handful of prostitutes, much to the chagrin of his mother, and his brother Messaoud returns home from a hitch in the army, where he fought for France in Indochina. Messaoud decides to put his military training to use by joining Abdelkader in a rebel group, the National Liberation Front, to drive the French out of Algeria. French military officer Colonel Faivre refuses to deal with the NLF, and assembles a secret battalion to counter their actions, leading to bloody conflicts in the streets.

Hors-la-Loi (aka Outside the Law) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where screenings were picketed by right-wing groups who objected to the film’s anti-colonial message.

Doug MacRay is an unrepentant criminal, the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who pride themselves in stealing what they want and getting out clean. With no real attachments, Doug never has to fear losing anyone close to him. But that all changed on the gang's latest job, when they briefly took a hostage--bank manager, Claire Keesey. Though they let her go unharmed, Claire is nervously aware that the robbers know her name and where she lives. But she lets her guard down when she meets an unassuming and rather charming man named Doug not realizing that he is the same man who only days earlier had terrorized her. The instant attraction between them gradually turns into a passionate romance that threatens to take them both down a dangerous, and potentially deadly, path.