La Haine (Special Edition) (DVD)

...in for a shock watching La Haine, set on the city's crumbling council estates. In one of the outstanding films of the Nineties, Kassowitz follows twenty-four hours in the lives of three disaffected youths as their lives spiral towards disaster. Despite its title, there is no escaping the film's over arching sense of warmth and humanity. Riots are rocking the city, and things escalate when one youth is put in intensive care by a police beating. The ...
...- which falls into the hands of unhinged Vince. Vince is an angry, dangerous youth, who claims he will shoot a policeman as an act of vengeance if their friend dies. This is all the plot there is, but what keeps it urgent is the sense of impending disaster. The first half, set on the estate, shows the listlessness of the French youths lives - this may be a French film with subtitles, but almost anyone who lives in a city will recognise the scenes ...

Plissken 06.01.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of La Haine (Special Edition) (DVD)

...with their quarry. La Haine, meaning Hate, is an acerbic critique of French society, its racism and the cloak provided by the reputation of Paris as the cultural capital of Europe. The film, whose real streng lies in its intense realism, partially thanks to Kassovitz's minimalist direction, also presents one of the most effective endings I've seen - there are no real twists, just the haunting suggestion of the endlessness of unrest as Kounde's Hubert, ...
...police, is himself faced with the choice between his anger and walking away. It is memorable stuff from a writer/director who at the time of its release was no more than 28 years old. This is unmissable, not just for foreign movie connoisseurs, but for anyone wanting to spend an hour and half being thoroughly impressed with everything cinema has to offer. Verdict: Wonderful show. Well worth watching. ...

playera13 02.02.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of La Haine (Special Edition) (DVD)

This is such an incredible film. Please don’t be put off by the fact that the film is in French with English subtitles, it is such an amazing film and once you start watching, it is so compelling that you forget that you are reading subtitles. The opening few minutes mix real-life footage with staged footage of the French police getting ready to handle a riot. The action takes place in a suburb of Paris and there are three main characters: Vince, ...
...The film depicts 24 hours in their lives. It starts following the death of their friend due to police brutality and it shows how they deal with life in world that doesn’t seem to offer them any hope for a better future. This film is superbly directed and the ending is very powerful. Definitely worth seeing. ...

zwiggy 02.08.2000 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of La Haine (Special Edition) (DVD)

I saw this film first whilst in college and frankly it's been a very tough time finding a better film since. The film is basically a tale of three youths from one of Paris' run down outskirt estates who find a policemans weapon and contemplate reaping revenge for their friend who was shot during a riot. The film protrays the main three characters very well and despite their being novices when the film was made the actors (Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, ...
...the film is wonderful. The black and white works extremely well in augmenting the bleak and brutal world in which the protaganists live. The camerawork is fantastic as well with some remarkable shots and editing. On top of this the music in the film is very fitting and really helps the atmosphere of the film. With strong social and political messages in the film you would think it would be a tad peachy. However, the film is wonderfully balanced and ...

JeanReno 21.08.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of La Haine (Special Edition) (DVD)

The Film is in Black and White, It has subtitles and not a great amount happens throughout the film. Sounds a bit poor at first, but the film has a certain quality about it, like watching a very clever music video. The film drags you in with its frank and open script, wonderful and greatly acted characters and amazing camera effects. The lack of colour adds to the style and tension of the film. The film follows a short period of time in the life’s ...
...riots; it portrays the tensions between the bored poor youth and the police force brought about due to age and ultimately the ethnic balance of the community (the main reason behind the riots). The film culminates in a very powerful meeting with a group of skinheads, which creates a moving end to the great film. The best line in the film is; A nun is walking down the street, a man gets out of a car walks up to the nun and punches her, she falls ...

ajbrook 12.03.2003 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of La Haine (Special Edition) (DVD)

A film that contains the spirit of early Scorsese and Spike Lee films. This is an enjoyable social document on the life of three ethnically different young friends as they pass a day on a Parisian housing scheme. The film effortlessly portrays the boredom and the need for cheap thrills in the lives of these disaffected youths. Vincent Cassel is excellent as the would be leader, trying his best to be as hard as De Niro yet can't hide his innocent ...
...and brings an odd elegance to the decay of the city around our protagonists. Mathieu Kassovitz direction is outstanding and deservedly walked away with the Cannes prize for that year. The script is also very funny and contains some moving and philosophical sections - best of all is the toilet scene with the old fella, one of my favourite scenes of all time! ...

Syklone 16.08.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of La Haine (Special Edition) (DVD)