La Haine

Starring: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, Said Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili, Benoit Magimer
Directed by: Matthew Kassovitz
Genre: Drama
Rating: Not rated
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three men move through French suburbs the day after a violent riot.

Review:

Tim: There is quite a lot to unpack in La Haine. It's about hatred, as you might expect, but the themes run deep. It's about race, about the erosion of youth and innocence, about friendship. To some extent, its about free will and how much control we have over our destinies. Socioeconomic themes abound, classism, violence, forgiveness. This French film is one that manages to stand out and hold our attention, even almost thirty years later. I very much enjoyed the film.

It felt like director Matthew Kassovitz was able to capture something that felt authentic here- a reflection of Paris suburbs, of the mixing of different people, different worldviews, different realities of life. We learn that there had previously been a destructive race riot, and our characters move through the aftermath. Along the way, there's big moments and a lot of small ones. We get a glimpse into their lives. We see that dangerous time when multiple paths lay before them, but numerous ones end in tragedy. How will they travel down these unseen paths? How will they make the right (or wrong) decisions, and how will that decide their fate? I thought the movie did a great job of exploring themes of control. It doesn't explicitly do this, but I felt like the characters were moving on a clearly defined path. There were exit ramps, alternatives, opportunities to make different decisions. How much free will did they have? How much was their upbringing, their culture, their surroundings influencing every decision they made? I don't have answers and the film doesn't provide them. It's intriguing to sit with the questions, though.

I really loved the cast. Vincent Cassel has done exceptional work in his career. He's never reached mega stardom in the states, but I'm always excited when he shows up in a film. I enjoyed getting to see this early role, and that his burning intensity and passion existed, even at this stage of his career. His raw, unfiltered, sometimes silly performance is captivating. I've met people like him, seen lost souls who feel like they're right on track. It's an incredible performance. I really like Said Taghmaoui, too. He's had less of a career than Cassel, but he's talented- kind of a perfect supporting character. He plays that role really well here. He elicits emotion from the audience at times- tugging at our heart strings, making us laugh. Hubert Kounde gives an impressive performance, too. His role is critical. It felt like he often ended up in the middle, torn between different extremes. Cassel, Taghmaoui, and Kounde work exceptionally well together- they felt like real friends as we watch them experience a host of ups and downs.

The film's presentation is effective. I loved that the movie was shot in black and white. It adds a perfect starkness to the movie's events. The film builds wonderfully to its climax. This is set up beautifully- Vinz commits to killing a cop if his friend Abdel dies in the hospital. Everything is in motion now. Will Abdel die? What will Vinz do? How much does the friendship of these three influence the others? What about the random events that occur throughout the movie? Does each encounter nudge them in one direction or another? It feels like Kassovitz packs quite a lot into this quick 1 hour, 38 minute film. It's definitely an impressive French film.

Ratings for this movie are quite elevated, so it's an odd feeling to say I didn't quite see greatness here. I admit it gets awfully close, but it's weird to feel like I underrated this compared to most. That's even with me fully admiring and respecting the film. I think the characters maybe meander a bit too much for me? Their climax comes, but it's after a lot of walking and posturing. The film could probably use a bit more momentum, a bit more progression in some of the earlier scenes. But, I don't want to dwell on that. I'm a big fan of La Haine and it's a movie I'd thoroughly recommend seeing. It provides a great deal of depth and a lot to unpack and consider- and those are always admirable qualities in a film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Trainspotting, Birthday Girl, A Clockwork Orange, Beau Travail