'The Assault' Trailer: A Real-Life Hostage Stand-Off Story

On Christmas Eve 1994, four terrorists hijacked a Paris bound flight, holding 227 people hostage. France's elite counter-terrorism unit was assembled to combat the terrorists and release the hostages, and their two-day effort was chronicled in a 2010 film called The Assault.

Julien Leclercq (Chrysalis) directs what appears to be quite a riveting story about the planning and execution of the anti-terrorist action. A trailer has appeared for the US release of the film, and you can check it out below.

I've seen comparisons made to United 93 by Paul Greengrass, both for Leclercq's use of shakycam, and his decision to tell the story through events around the plane and in more remote locations. Reaching the power of United 93 seems unlikely, but I like the footage in this trailer enough that The Assault is now on my radar.

The Assault hits some theaters on April 6. Apple has the HD trailer.

An action packed thriller, "The Assault" is the gripping true story of the hijacking of a Paris-bound flight on Christmas Eve 1994, and the 48-hour effort to rescue the passengers. When four heavily armed Islamic terrorists hijack a Paris-bound Air France flight on the runway, 227 innocent lives hang in the balance. Their only chance of rescue is the determined French GIGN's (the elite counter-terrorism paramilitary unit of the French National Gendarmerie), called on to break the standoff and storm the plane. "The Assault" is a harrowing tale that captures the claustrophobic tension on board, and in strategy sessions with the government and the GIGN, until 48 hours later it reaches its final outcome, played out during an intense battle onboard the narrow confines of an aircraft.