Hate

Pros: Cinematography, acting, plot...
Cons: Very bleak

I've been away for the past week, so this entry into Matt Harney's write-off is rather late, and is also a re-write of one of my older pieces...sorry!!

Set in a warren of housing commission estates in Paris after violent ethnic youth riots, we...

Pros: leads, cinematography, editing
Cons: stree- language and street-violence are unpleasant and some want to avoid them unpleasant-realities in movies

Mathieu Kassovitz achieved international success as an actor in "Amelie" and also played Robert in Steven Spielberg's "Munich." Kassovitz's major impact as a director (so far) was a gritty, documentary-looking melodrama called "La Haine" (hatred) that he ...

Pros: Highly original dramatic exposé of reality in a French housing project
Cons: Must have tolerance for subtitles and black & white

Imagine a film about a riot that caused a riot when it was first shown in theaters! Now imagine that this took place not in Los Angeles, New York, or Detroit – not in America at all – but in the underbelly of Paris! That’s right – in ...

Pros: Good story and acting, well staged
Cons: Too imitative of films by Spike Lee

Spike Lee has struggled to gain a following among most French moviegoers. Not so director Mathieu Kassovitz, who pays a deliberate homage to Lee in this film, La Heine and in his prior film, Cafe Au Lait. La Heine (Hate) is very close in story line to...

Pros: Brilliantly conceived. Engaging characters. A simple story.
Cons: subtitled.

There was a time when the French government's attitude towards multi-culturalism was questionable, this film captures it vividly. It's a modern picture, shot in black & white and without pretension.

Structurally "La Haine" is very tight....

Pros: Acting, Direction, Soundtrack, Editing, Cinematography, overall message...
Cons: Black & White with subtitles may bother some viewers.

"La Haine" (Hate) is a powerful French drama about the deterioration of modern society. The opening credits of the movie set the mood for the entire film, with shots of riots and Bob Marley's "Burning & Looting" echoing through...

Pros: "This movie rocked me." - Jodie Foster
Cons: It's in french with english subtitles.

This film is definitely one of my favorites. I admit it was easier for me to watch because I am french and I didn't rely on the subtitles, which aren't always up to par, but I think the movie will nonetheless be extremely effective. It's a pretty...

Pros: The film is intellectually stimulating and emotionally invigorating. The actor's performances are done extremely well. Kassovitz's use of black and white film visually captures the separation of races in our world. The direction and cinematography expre
Cons: The films strong and abrupt ending leaves the viewer emotionally confused. The unexpected ending fails to give the viewer time to become emotionally comfortable with the realities of the men's lives. In the end one may feel emotional anger and frustratio

La Haine (Hate) directed by Mathieu Kassovitz is emotionally numbing and harsh. Three suburban Parisian men encounter harassment from the police, skinheads, and drug dealers. The film begins with a voice-over that encompasses it's theme: "A man...

Pros: Adrenalin rush
Cons: subtitles

This film would kick it in English. But with ninety-mile-per-hour dialogue and rapid scene changes to keep up with, the subtitles keep total enjoyment at bay. The cinematography looks brilliant, being in black and white adds to the desolate atmosphere. I...

Pros: Riveting disparity of youths trapped in the projects
Cons: Subtitled with a slow, slow beginning

"This movie rocked me," wrote Jodie Foster on the video box. And indeed, this disturbing film about youth in the projects of France conveys the tense atmosphere that goes well beyond our ghetto borders. Clinging to a gun as if it's a...