However, Galoup had previously tampered with Sentain's compass, causing him to become lost and collapse from dehydration in the arid salt flats.

His compass is later found by the legionnaires at a local sale of salt-encrusted novelties, and is believed to prove Sentain is dead.

He makes his bed in the immaculate military manner, then lies on top clutching a pistol, and reads aloud the phrase tattooed on his chest: "Sers la bonne cause et meurs" ("Serve the good cause and die").

[6] Charles Taylor of Salon.com wrote that "Beau Travail is the most extreme example of [Denis'] talent, baffling and exhilarating.

"[7] J. Hoberman of The Village Voice wrote that the film is "so tactile in its cinematography, inventive in its camera placement, and sensuous in its editing that the purposefully oblique and languid narrative is all but eclipsed.

The site's consensus reads: "Beau Travail finds director Claire Denis drawing on classic literature to construct a modern tragedy fueled by timeless desires".

[12] In the 2022 Sight and Sound critic's poll, Beau Travail was ranked the 7th best movie of all time.