Hi, I'm Mats and I want to become a movie critic. I have written my first movie review ever on the movie "La Haine". I would be incredibly grateful if you could give me feedback on my review. Thank you.
La Haine movie review:
La Haine, a film about police brutality directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, starring Vincent Cassel, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Hubert Koundé. This crime drama from 1995 takes place in the banlieue (poor suburbs of Paris) after riots causing high tension between police forces and people living in poverty.
La Haine opens with footage of riots in Paris after Abdel Ichaca has been physically abused in police custody and is taken to intensive care. The movie spans over 20 hours of the lives of Vinz, Saïd and Hubert aimlessly living in the poverty stricken neighborhood in Paris. Vinz’s rage is growing, threatening to kill a cop with the gun a policeman lost during the riots while Hubert is the one who wants to escape this environment. The title derives from the line that Hubert gave, “La haine attire la haine!” which translates to “Hatred breeds hatred!”.
La Haine is the perfect commentary on a class society but most importantly, police brutality. Which is still relevant 25 years after its release with the “Black Lives Matter” movement. A recurring theme is Hubert’s non-joke: Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good, so far so good. This metaphor for French society spirals down until ‘the man hits the ground’ which causes the situation to catastrophically get out of hand. This non-joke creates an incredible tension while watching the film since the audience is waiting for ‘the man to hit the ground’. This is further emphasized by the black screens with the time displayed together with the ticking sound that created this suspense.
The cinematography of La Haine is extraordinary. The film is shot in black and white which not only gives it an authentic style. The black and white symbolizes how people outside the banlieue have a preconceived idea of the youth of these neighborhoods. Furthermore, the black and white convey this sense of their dreary lifes with no escape causing me to feel claustrophobic throughout the entire film. This is especially clear when the protagonists are wandering through Paris. The gloomy shots of the streets of Paris contrast the beautifully, romantic lit streets normally portrayed in movies.
Moreover, does Kassovitz use incredible shots throughout the movie such as the scene where Vinz talks to himself in the mirror, the shot where Vinz shows the gun of the policeman that he found or the dolly zoom when Vinz, Saïd and Hubert are standing in Paris.
La Haine is a suspenseful commentary on police brutality with stunning cinematography. The feeling of being trapped in this environment full of poverty with no way out, waiting for the situation to explode made this an exceptional watch which I would recommend to everyone who is getting into cinema. I cannot give anything other than 5 stars to Kassovitz’s La Haine.
La Haine movie review:
La Haine, a film about police brutality directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, starring Vincent Cassel, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Hubert Koundé. This crime drama from 1995 takes place in the banlieue (poor suburbs of Paris) after riots causing high tension between police forces and people living in poverty.
La Haine opens with footage of riots in Paris after Abdel Ichaca has been physically abused in police custody and is taken to intensive care. The movie spans over 20 hours of the lives of Vinz, Saïd and Hubert aimlessly living in the poverty stricken neighborhood in Paris. Vinz’s rage is growing, threatening to kill a cop with the gun a policeman lost during the riots while Hubert is the one who wants to escape this environment. The title derives from the line that Hubert gave, “La haine attire la haine!” which translates to “Hatred breeds hatred!”.
La Haine is the perfect commentary on a class society but most importantly, police brutality. Which is still relevant 25 years after its release with the “Black Lives Matter” movement. A recurring theme is Hubert’s non-joke: Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good, so far so good. This metaphor for French society spirals down until ‘the man hits the ground’ which causes the situation to catastrophically get out of hand. This non-joke creates an incredible tension while watching the film since the audience is waiting for ‘the man to hit the ground’. This is further emphasized by the black screens with the time displayed together with the ticking sound that created this suspense.
The cinematography of La Haine is extraordinary. The film is shot in black and white which not only gives it an authentic style. The black and white symbolizes how people outside the banlieue have a preconceived idea of the youth of these neighborhoods. Furthermore, the black and white convey this sense of their dreary lifes with no escape causing me to feel claustrophobic throughout the entire film. This is especially clear when the protagonists are wandering through Paris. The gloomy shots of the streets of Paris contrast the beautifully, romantic lit streets normally portrayed in movies.
Moreover, does Kassovitz use incredible shots throughout the movie such as the scene where Vinz talks to himself in the mirror, the shot where Vinz shows the gun of the policeman that he found or the dolly zoom when Vinz, Saïd and Hubert are standing in Paris.
La Haine is a suspenseful commentary on police brutality with stunning cinematography. The feeling of being trapped in this environment full of poverty with no way out, waiting for the situation to explode made this an exceptional watch which I would recommend to everyone who is getting into cinema. I cannot give anything other than 5 stars to Kassovitz’s La Haine.