La Haine

The 90's true masterpiece. _La Haine_ has become the manifesto of a whole generation of the french lumpenproletariats and it's amazing to see how much little has changed since its release: police brutality spreading wordwide, margining of the poors and whole city districts, with social tensions constantly on the rise.

Rating: 5* / 5* or 10 / 10

It's cinema, as simple as that, it's cinema

The film shows the daily life of our 3 protagonists and how fast life goes by since the film takes place in a single day, how it goes from moments of humor to moments of tension and vice versa.

I sincerely believe that this is not a film for everyone, not because it is super difficult to understand but because it has many layers, staying in the first layer which would be following the events, the film is already good, a solid 8 but I consider that a large part of the value of the work is in being observant since it has a good load of audio visual and cultural references that give more depth to what is happening, in addition to very good shots and sequences, the use of black and white gives an excellent touch to several scenes.

The best French movie is about how awful France is

It’s like Boyz N The Hood crossed with Stand By Me, only, and I never thought this possible… better 🙀

Holy sh:asterisk_symbol:t, the acting, the story, the cinematography damnnn such a good movie

It's sad that this movie is still as relevant today as it was when it came out 23 years ago. The black and white really makes this feel dirty and real, like we are there in the projects with the characters. The acting from our leads is great. The cinematography is fantastic. That mirror scene was amazing and I had to watch it a few times just to appreciate it. There are a ton of other cool shots too. That ending still has me shook up.

One of the best screenplays I've ever seen, I could rewatch some of the dialogues in this film for eternity. Absolutely brilliant, has just become one of my favourites.

It's not about the fall, it's about how you land.
A masterpiece of cinema; from the film's soundscape & visuals to the immersive realistic acting & dialogue, La Haine embodies everything that makes filmmaking such a powerful storytelling medium. Every viewing it's as good as ever.

20 Movies to watch (FINALLY) in 2025 (9/20)

"Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good... so far so good... so far so good. How you fall doesn't matter. It's how you land!"

La Haine (meaning Hatred in English) is a truly excellent movie. The script is fantastic, with outstanding performances from the three leads, and beautifully shot, gritty black-and-white cinematography.

The entire film truly feels like we are an outsider looking in, and that isn’t anything new; however, in this case, it takes place in Paris, against the backdrop of police riots and less glamorous parts of the city. These rough neighbourhoods give it an outsider’s perspective. Usually, when you think of Paris, you picture elegance and romance, but this film shows a different side—the people living in those areas. It offers a chance to see a world that’s not your language, your country, or your environment, and characters who do questionable things. But it’s an opportunity to understand a different side of the world that you might never otherwise experience. Films like these give you a window into another life. Even so, it doesn’t fully disconnect you from themes that are still relevant today, like anger, feeling mistreated, and being left behind in society.

The film depicts a day in the lives of three friends in a poor suburb of Paris. It introduces the main characters: one is a young Jewish man named Vinz (played by Vincent Cassel), who has a quick temper and a strong hatred of the police. During the riots, a police officer drops his .44 Magnum revolver, which Vinz finds. Throughout the movie, he carries the gun and plans to kill the first police officer he sees if Abdel, his best friend, dies in intensive care after being badly hurt in police custody. The second is a North African Muslim named Saïd (played by Saïd Taghmaoui). Lastly, an Afro-French boxer named Hubert (played by Hubert Koundé), who dreams of a better life away from his neighbourhood, must make ends meet by selling drugs to support his mother after his gym was destroyed during the riots. One memorable scene shows all three hanging out at a rundown playground, with Hubert playing with something on the ground with his shoes—that’s a used drug injection.

Moments like these make you think, “This is so awful.” All three are immigrants and easy targets for police harassment, often labelled as delinquents. Throughout the film, they’re under police surveillance. One scene illustrates this when Hubert and Saïd are taken into custody just to be roughed up for crossing paths with the police at the wrong time and place. However, the three aren’t perfect either. They’re flawed, and that’s the point. Honestly, if I saw these guys on the street acting like in the movie, I’d probably dislike them and dismiss them as annoying jerks. But spending time with them and understanding where they’re coming from makes you see them differently—you understand the hate, the rebellion, and their anger. This creates intense tension that runs throughout the film. From the start, you sense something bad is going to happen, and someone is likely to get hurt or worse. While the ending is predictable, it’s still powerful. The whole film is like a ticking time bomb—tension bubbling just beneath the surface, ready to explode at any moment. La Haine feels incredibly relevant today because little has changed. Sadly, nothing will change.

The film feels like protest art—and a brilliant one at that.