La Haine (1995)
"La haine" (original title)

After local youth Abdel is beaten unconscious by police, a riot ensues on his estate during which a policeman loses his gun. The gun is found by Vinz who threatens he will kill a cop if Abdel dies.

Director:

Mathieu Kassovitz

Writer:

Mathieu Kassovitz

Stars:

Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui

Top 250 #229 | 8 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Cassel	...	Vinz
Hubert Koundé	...	Hubert
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Saïd
Abdel Ahmed Ghili	...	Abdel
Solo	...	Santo
Joseph Momo	...	Ordinary Guy
Héloïse Rauth	...	Sarah
Rywka Wajsbrot	...	Vinz's Grandmother
Olga Abrego	...	Vinz's Aunt
Laurent Labasse	...	Cook
Choukri Gabteni	...	Saïd's Brother
Nabil Ben Mhamed	...	Boy Blague
Benoît Magimel	...	Benoît
Medard Niang	...	Médard (as Médard Niang)
Arash Mansour	...	Arash

Storyline

The film follows three young men and their time spent in the French suburban "ghetto," over a span of twenty-four hours. Vinz, a Jew, Saïd, an Arab, and Hubert, a black boxer, have grown up in these French suburbs where high levels of diversity coupled with the racist and oppressive police force have raised tensions to a critical breaking point. During the riots that took place a night before, a police officer lost his handgun in the ensuing madness, only to leave it for Vinz to find. Now, with a newfound means to gain the respect he deserves, Vinz vows to kill a cop if his friend Abdel dies in the hospital, due the beating he received while in police custody.

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Plot Keywords:

riot | gun | hospital | youth | ghetto | 

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Taglines:

Three Young Friends... One Last Chance.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Haine

Filming Locations:

Chanteloup-les-Vignes, Yvelines, France

Box Office

Gross:

$309,811 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Cofinergie 6, Egg Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In some English-language versions, such as the 2007 Criterion Collection DVD, the name Astérix was changed to Snoopy in the subtitles, as the film traveled further than the Asterix books did.

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Goofs

The trip across Paris is strange : the three characters should arrive at the Saint-Lazare station(north-west of Paris), coming from ChanteloupLesVignes. Yet, when they arrive, they are in front of the Montparnasse station(south of Paris), on the Rennes street. Then, they go to Asterix place, on the boulevard Pierre Ier of Serbia, close to Iena Place (west of Paris), and when they try to catch the last train, this time they are at the Saint-Lazare station, the right one to go back. But then, when they are on the roof, they see the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero from the south-east, being probably close to Montparnasse station. Then, they come across a sculpture, L'Ecoute, in the Halles Garden(center of Paris), before going back. Hence, their trip goes : south, west, north-west, south and center of Paris.

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Quotes

Hubert: Bullshit! You pointed a gun at a cop! We coulda been killed!
[an old man flushes the toilet and walks out of the stall]
Old Man: Nothing like a good shit! Do you believe in God? That's the wrong question. Does God believe in us? I once had a friend called Grunwalski. We were sent to Siberia together. When you go to a Siberian work camp, you travel in a cattle car. You roll across icy steppes for days, without seeing a soul. You huddle to keep warm. But it's hard to relieve yourself, to take a shit, you ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in (Ohne Titel) (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Mon Esprit Part en Couille"
Written by Weedy and Expression Direkt
Performed by Expression Direkt
Courtesy of Ghetto Youth Progress

User Reviews

The Hood by a Frenchman

Rather like Haneke's Code Inconnu, we follow a principle trio of destitute urban teenagers through 24 hours in episodes, punctuated with screen splits showing the time - and, invariably, their boredom. There is no romanticism or squalor in squalid drug dens (unlike in the contemporary Trainspotting) or any carousel of murder. The boys want to do their own thing, perhaps collect the pettiest of debts and get along. Instead their every encounter breaks down into goading and aggression, however constructively instigated by the boys.

Kassowitz paints bleak sequences, but without a sense of hopelessness. Instead we are left with frustration that there is no intervention to manipulate the intelligence and good intentions of the boys at each chapter of their day. The episode in the private gallery is the perfect example of this; the imaginary cul-de-sac of self-worth that eventually leads them to behave with defensive antagonism is a painful scene.

Vincent Cassel is the money name leading the melodrama. Said Tagmaouhi is a good foil for Cassel's occasionally self-regarding virtuosity, but I was most impressed with Hubert Koundeas, the introspective, middle class manqué third of the three. The film stays true throughout, incorporating Paris as a metropolitan backdrop, rather than a beautiful juxtaposition for pity's sake. A troubling, even angry but positive film. A real benchmark. 7.5/10