Review of La Haine (1995) by Maximiliano D — 01 Nov 2013

A harsh look at prejudice and violence in modern day France, La Haine is an absolute powerhouse of a film that is as timeless and impressive as it is entertaining. Directed by French actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz (who co-starred in Amélie), La Haine is more or less about three twenty-something year old friends living in the slums of Paris who find a police officer's gun that was left on the street after a race riot.

Alienated from society and without a future for themselves, the three friends wander the city with their weapon and debate how they should use it, or who they should use it on. Along the way they encounter a drug dealer, many corrupt policemen, and a group of skinheads.

One of the most notable aspects of the movie is Vincent Cassel as the most unstable of the three friends who harbors a deep-seated vendetta against the police and wants to use to gun to kill a policeman.

Cassel gives the kind of performance that comes around only once every decade. He completely embodies his character Vinz, who has become frustrated with the intolerance of French society and is eager to take out his aggression on the first person to provoke him.

The entire movie is filmed in black-and-white, which is a surprisingly bold move that pays off very well. The lack of color gives it an almost classic look, which is fitting because the themes of racial intolerance and class struggle are just as relevant today as they were in 1995 when La Haine was released.

Even though it seems deadly serious at times, La Haine also has a number of unexpectedly funny scenes. The humor is pretty morbid at times, and it almost always comes in the moments when you wouldn't expect it, but it gives the entire movie an interesting feel to it that's hard to describe.

Imagine Trainspotting, but more serious. It's similar humor, but instead of permeating the entire movie it just sneaks its way into certain scenes. As a whole, La Haine is infinitely entertaining but also very emotional and gritty.

This is a movie that doesn't just represent the frustrated masses of people who feel trapped and abandoned at the bottom of the social pyramid, but also shows them that their struggle is understood and they aren't fighting alone.

It's a portrait of three people cornered by a cruel society and left with nowhere left to turn, and it makes for one absolutely incredible movie.