December 1994. On Saturday 24th, four GIA terrorists hijack an Air France A300 Airbus, bound for Paris, with 227 passengers on board, at the Algiers airport.
The Assault is so tense, it seems to pass in a single held breath-so quickly, in fact, that you don't register its narrative flimsiness until later on.
– Mark Holcomb,
Village Voice,
3 Apr 2012
rotten:
Only the overstylized, near-colorless cinematography offers any shades of gray (actually, nothing but shades of gray); everything else is rendered in the most black-and-white way possible.
– David Fear,
Time Out New York,
3 Apr 2012
rotten:
Brisk and technically efficient, The Assault is a dull film based on a real event that certainly wasn't.
– Alison Willmore,
AV Club,
5 Apr 2012
rotten:
In place of emotional stakes, we get gleaming, stylized, occasionally slow-motion violence, filmed in such extreme close-ups and cramped spaces that it's impossible to differentiate gunman and victim.
– Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
5 Apr 2012
fresh:
So gripping and focused that it easily bests Hollywood movies with 50 times its budget.