Distributor: Studio Canal
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, Said Taghmoui
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Screenplay: Mathieu Kassovitz
Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Running Time: 1hr 38m
Release Date: May 31st 1995 (France), November 17th 1995 (UK)
Rating: 15
In 1993, Mathieu Kassovitz was inspired by two moments of police brutality. One was in 1986 where a man named Malik Oussekine was beaten to death by a riot police during a demonstration he was not a part of. The other was in 1993 where another man named Makome M’Bowole was shot in point blank range by a policeman even though M'Bowole was in police custody at the time. On that same day, Kassovitz started the script for 'La Haine,' which dealt with themes of police brutality and riots. The film was released to critical acclaim and currently stands at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Does Kassovitz truly deserve that praise?
What's the story? The movie follows 24 hours of the lives of three young men after a riot in Paris. These men are a Jew named Vinz (Cassel), an Afro-French named Hubert (Kounde) and an Arab named Said (Taghmoui). The movie centres around their lives in the Banelieu district, their scuffles with the police and their adventures in Paris, all the while Vinz is debating on whether or not he should violently avenge a friend who was brutally beaten by the police.
Kassovitz makes sure that the characters are not black and white, even though the film is. The main character, Vinz, wishes to be violent as he bases himself off Travis Bickle from 'Taxi Driver' and often fantasises about killing a policeman in revenge for his comatosed friend Abdel (Abdel Ahmed Ghili) but he does grow as a character as he starts to realise that violence isn't the best option. Hubert is the opposite. He is less violent and often tries to think of a peaceful solution to the conflicts that the three come across. However, he has shown some violence when the situation calls for it. Said is, almost literally, stuck in the middle of his friends. He is as easily excitable as Vinz but he also tries to work out a peaceful solution, especially when Vinz and Hubert butt heads over their conflicting ideologies. The three leads are not good or bad people, they are just normal youths who were set apart from society due to race, class and age.
The police are similar though Kassovitz does portray them in an unfavourable light. They are portrayed as inept as they can barely control the hot-headed Vinz; they are portrayed as stupid since they mis-identify the "leader" as Said; they are portrayed as buzzkills as they constantly move the characters along from one location to another and they are portrayed as corrupt which is shown through a brutal interrogation scene. Throughout the film, the characters call the police 'pigs' and Vinz displays a burning hatred towards them as their displays of police brutality affected their lives. That's not to say the police are all bad as there are one or two that are actually helpful but the 'pigs' seem to be a constant nuisance that tail the trio and ruin their lives.
Then again, the lives of the trio aren't all that spectacular. Through the majority of the film, the characters wonder aimlessly through Paris and the Banelieu district with very little to do other than hang around and talk about cows or other topics. Their attempts at joining larger groups are often thwarted by the police or higher authorities, so it is as if they are forced to wonder haphazardly through the Banelieu because society will not accept them. Hubert is the voice of that message as his hopes of being a boxer are ruined by his gym burning down and his lack of job has forced him to stay in the Banelieu district, despite his verbal desire to leave. Even in Paris, the three are temporarily trapped there so they wonder through the city during the night.
The production values are good too. Kassovitz really tried to make the film as realistic as possible and he succeeds. The characters share the names of their actors to make it seem like they are real people, the filming was actually done in the Banelieu district to show it in its entirety and some of the characters are played by people from the districts to make it seem like Kassovitz and his characters know what they are saying. That doesn't mean he isn't stylised as the film is in black and white to make it seem gritty and there is a ticking clock motif that not only details their 24 hours but also seems like it is counting down to something.
Does this film have problems? Well since the characters wonder carelessly throughout the film, the plot as a result does fall under a lot of filler so most of the scenes do little other than to convey the message of aimlessness. Also, besides the main three, the supporting characters are forgettable and the police are interchangeable. The characters of Vinz and Said can be unlikable since they are single-minded and obnoxious respectively. The ending, whilst making sense, does seem to come out of nowhere and does come across as abrupt.
Overall, 'La Haine' is more of a character study of the lives of three immigrants rather than an actual story. The characters and themes are very strong as it is a harsh and realistic presentation of Paris and the inhabitants we don't often think about. However, this movie needed more of a plot to keep things more interesting and it is only when looked at closely does the film truly shine.
'La Haine' gets 4 'pigs' out of 5
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