SOLDIERS SHOULD SHARE IN THE GLORY.

Byline: Glenn Whipp

Film Critic

It's hard to argue with the well-meaning French import "Days of Glory" as a piece of advocacy filmmaking.

Co-writer and director Rachid Bouchareb made the movie to prompt the French government to finally pay the pensions of the North African soldiers who fought to liberate France from the Nazis in World War II. And, thanks to the film's rocking reception in French theaters, it appears that French President Jacques Chirac will finally do the right thing.

One problem: The motivation behind making "Days of Glory" undercuts the suspense. You pretty much know that these gallant young men aren't going to get their due. That predictability also informs the movie's storytelling, which features a cross section of standard-issue war-movie characters, each existing to put across a political point. A coda straight out of "Saving Private Ryan," complete with bad age makeup, doesn't help.

What saves "Days of Glory" is a committed cast giving passionate performances that elevate their characters beyond stereotypes.

The movie follows a group of North African enlisted men from 1943 to early 1945 through battles in Italy, Provence and Alsace.

These soldiers believe, for the most part, that fighting for their French "homeland" will make De Gaulle's promise of liberty, equality and fraternity a reality in their lives.

The main characters include a gruff sergeant (Bernard Blancan) trying to win his men favor with his French superiors, an idealistic corporal (Sami Bouajila) given to big "Les Miserables"-type speeches, a good-looking grunt (Roschdy Zem) looking to get back to the Provencal dame he loved for one night and an Uncle Tom-like private (Jamel Debbouze), who becomes joined at the hip to his sergeant.

Bouchareb stages the battles nicely, making full use of the wide-screen photography to clearly delineate strategies and subsequent horrors. The fighting exists to underscore the movie's championing of its soldiers, men who are seen as nothing short of heroes, men who deserve nothing less than their French counterparts. Bouchareb presents a convincing case with his conventional film.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

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DAYS OF GLORY - Three stars

(R: violence, brief language)

Starring: Bernard Blancan, Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem, Jamel Debbouze.

Director: Rachid Bouchareb.

Running time: 2 hr.

Playing: Laemmle's Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles.

In a nutshell: Conventional war movie makes convincing case for North Africans who fought for France during World War II. In French with English subtitles.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Sami Bouajila, left, Roschdy Zem, Samy Naceri and Jamel Debbouze portray North African men fighting for France in "Days of Glory."