Who's
In It: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, Said Taghmaoui Who Directed It:
Mathieu Kassovitz
Year of release: 1998
La Haine (1998) Movie Review
- Reviewed by: Nick Goodwin
Political
to the point of being anarchistic La Haine (Hate) is a time bomb of a movie that
sets out to highlight a failing system, a corrupt and violent police force and
an indifferent government ccontent to overlook the problems within its inner city
housing projects.
From
its very conception to its ultimate visualization La Haine sparked a moral panic
that spread across the whole of France. Courting controversy at every juncture
and building up enough political hype prior to its release that a compulsory screening
was ordered by the French Prime Minister and his cabinet La Haine was destined
to be a film of great importance.
Based
on real events, La Haine focuses on the aftermath of rioting following the death
of a young immigrant Parisian in police custody. Choosing not to sensationalize
events the story opens as the dust settles, as the flames die out and as people
begin to survey the devastation of the previous night and their uncertain future.
The
film turns its attentions to the lives of three friends, Vinz, Said and Hubert.
All with differing views on the previous nights events and all with contrasting
solutions to the problems they face. They lead us through the building tensions
of the film, through the long periods of nothingness as each side waits for the
other to make its move and through the ordeals they face when the eventual stalemate
is broken which culminates in a heart stopping conclusion that leaves the viewer
with a disturbing feeling of injustice and a burning desire for rebellion and
retribution.
Despite
its gritty undertones and its overtly political stance La Haine is a beautifully
delicate and poetic film. The rise from stillness to boiling point is emphasized
by the starkness of the framing and the edgy, black and white cinematography adds
realness to events as they escalate. La Haine is repeatedly interspersed with
iconic and almost metaphorical imagery that echo the feel of the film and add
a sentimental backdrop to the troubles drawn deeper into the canvas before it.
With
some stylish cinematic touches, paying an unspoken homage to several Hollywood
directors, the film seals its position as an important counter-culture classic
by making itself undeniably fascinating to watch. The contrasting rhythm of pace
and stillness definitely adds to the drama as it unfolds.
The
underlying use of "Verlan" a punchy, syncopated French street slang
gives an authenticity to its characters, who despite all being relative newcomers,
deliver some of the most fleshed out, realistic portrayals of conflicting youth
attitude and ambition. All of them tethered to a touchstone of hopeful, child-like
naïveté, while outwardly presenting an arrogant sense of bravado.
Vinz (Vincent Cassel) especially offers a disturbing view of a universal teenage
mentality when his only response to his police aggressors is violent retaliation.
Yet in contrast, he also displays a deft comic touch with the most realistic impression
of a French Robert De Niro you are ever likely to see.
La
Haine is a unique film if only for the fact it does not apologize for what it
is. It wants you to sit up and take notice and if it has to shock you into a better
realization then it is an effctive means to that end.
Without
revolution there would be no progress in society and although outwardly this film
has a negative approach it is consistently underpinned with a feeling of hope
and of positive change. The opening dialogue of the film tells the story of a
man falling to the ground from a great height. As he falls he says to himself
"so far, so good" This is the underlying basis of the film. It is not
a question of how you fall, it is a question of how you land. An eternally optimistic
viewpoint, that despite the struggle things can only improve.
There
is an intelligence to the directing of La Haine. It forces you to side with its
main characters and ultimately agree with their philosophies. You find yourselves
supporting the plight of Vinz, Said and Hubert and join them in their distrust
and dislike of the police. Despite Director Mathieu Kassovitz never actually showing
any of the riot or evidence that the police were involved in the death of the
boy in custody you find your allegiance lies with the three boys. This is a novel
approach in film making and epitomizes the daring attitude of this movie and sets
it above its contemporaries in style and courage.
La
Haine is certainly one of the great films of the late 20th century and ultimately
destined to become a cult classic with anyone with an appreciation of powerful,
thought provoking and creative film making.
Controversial
in its content, aggressive in its approach and resilient in its attitude La Haine
breaks the boundaries of political correctness taking the issues that matter from
the streets and presenting them in a way that forces the politicians to take notice
and hopefully affect change by revelation not revolution.There are few films in
this class that succeed in compiling a politically motivated, anti police, anarchistic
standpoint into an enthralling, stylish piece of poetic imagery.
Breathtaking
cinema at its very best, destined to be remembered for its rousing indictment
of the French class system and for pushing the boundaries of political opinion.
La Haine scores on every level of entertainment and importance.
