Forces spéciales (Special Forces in English)is a 2011 French war adventure film by Stéphane Rybojad which was shot in France, Djibouti and Tajikistan. The film shows a group of elite French soldiers on a desperate hostage rescue mission in the Afghanistan/Pakistan area. Forces spéciales is mainly in French, though also partly in English and Persian.

Plot of Special Forces (2011)

The renowned journalist Elsa Casanova (Diane Kruger) writes an article about warlord Zaief (Raz Degan) and names him "the butcher of Kabul". Later on her informer Maina (Morjana Alaoui) warns her that Zaief is out for vengeance. Maina is usually completely covered by her burqa but during the last interview she unveils her face for Elsa's camera and discloses that she is one of Zaief's women since she was sold to him when she was twelve years old. Before she returns to Zaief she bids farewell because she reckons to die by an honour killing. Elsa tries to hold her back but fails. Her friend Amen (Mehdi Nebbou) also urges Elsa to leave the country yet instead of saving herself she tries to save Maina. Zaief ambushes her and her friend Amen. He has their driver killed and puts her with Amen into a dark cell. Amen asks Elsa to show no fear in front of Zaief. Still she breaks down when their friend Salemani (Greg Fromentin) gets cruelly murdered in her presence.

Zaief accuses Elsa and other foreigners of coming uninvited to his country and of making his people crazy. He sends film material of Salemani's gruesome death to the West, where it eventually reaches the French government. A French special forces team gets entrusted with Elsa's rescue. They find Zaief's hideout in Pakistan. Although they realized that they are actually too few men to get the job done, they still go for it after they've noticed the execution of Maina. When they leave the place with Elsa and Amen, a bullet hits their wireless set. Without means to contact their base they cannot manage to be found and picked up.

In lack of any other solution they are heading for the Khyber Pass in order to reach their base inAfghanistan on foot. In the mountains they have another shooting with Zaief's gunmen. Since they stand on higher grounds, are clad in top-notch body armour and have high-end guns with laser designators and high capacity magazines the hand-picked commandos are able to withstand the attackers who approach densely packed and have only old AK-47s. While Kovax fights with his men Zaief hides and just kills his followers if they dare to question his orders.

When the fugitives come across a village Elsa asks for hospitality. She and her attendants are heartily welcomed. As they learn all children of this village have been taken away by a local warlord who was in demand of child soldiers. While they enjoy themselves with the locals, Marius (Alain Alivon) is suddenly killed by a sniper. The team's own marksman Elias (Raphaël Personnaz) can take care of the shootist but loses his nerve. Later on Zaief's gunmen arrive and Zaief himself kills Amen. The soldiers try to save the villagers but this time their weaponry doesn't suffice. When Victor is hit, they retreat. Elias decides to back them up and to rather die fighting than to accompany them into the mountains. Victor comes with Kovax, Lucas and Elsa. Soon he suffers with ague and little later he dies, experiencing the fate of many unknown heroic soldiers who had an unseen painful death after their last battle.

Cast of Special Forces (2011) 

•     Diane Kruger as Elsa Casanova
•     Djimon Hounsou as Commander Kovax
•     Denis Menochet as Captain Lucas
•     Benoît Magimel as Tic-Tac
•     Raphaël Personnaz as Elias
•     Alain Figlarz as Victor
•     Alain Alivon as Marius
•     Raz Degan as Zaief
•     Mehdi Nebbou as Amen
•     Morjana Alaoui as Maina
•     Tchéky Karyo as Admiral Guezennec