I first saw this about 20 years ago, late night on either BBC or Channel 4. And wow. Just wow! What an amazing film.
I won't go into detail about the plot, but this is the film that made me really start to appreciate foreign films and really enjoy the idea of watching a subtitled movie.
Incredible acting from all of the cast, with Vincent Cassel now being my favorite actor. The film is interesting, gritty, funny and different to what else is out there. An absolute classic that has stood the test of time, and the topic is just as (if not even more) relevant today. Can't recommend it enough.
La Haine hits like a gut punch in monochrome. It’s angry, yes—but also razor-sharp, bleakly funny and tragically clear-eyed. The film tracks three young men over 24 hours in a pressure cooker of police violence and poverty, where time doesn’t just—tick it hisses. Kassovitz directs with fire and flair, while the cast (especially Cassel) smoulder with restless energy. What lingers is the tension—coiled, crackling, and close to the skin. Every scene feels like a naked flame hovering over petrol. It’s not just what happens, but how it’s framed: with style, and a terrible clarity. La Haine doesn’t shout—it simmers, and that’s what makes it unforgettable.
This 1995 film about urban violence in the Paris suburbs is shot in arresting monochrome using a Steadicam that circles elegantly around the action as though eavesdropping on it. Yet the action itself holds little interest. The three social outcast leads are totally unsympathetic, although skinhead Vincent Cassel does show glimpses of the charismatic actor he would become. The relentless anti-police bias further distances audience engagement and dulls any message the film is trying to purvey about its subject matter.