Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 illustration of the class war raging in the housing projects of Paris' northern outskirts--rendered in black & white--is a stunning and truly accomplished motion picture.
The film--released in Europe as 'La Heine' and subtitled for English speaking audiences and released as 'Hate' in 1996--is excellently acted by three young players: Vincent Cassel (Jefferson in Paris, Elizabeth, Oceans Twelve), Hubert Kound� (Constant Gardener) and Sa�d Taghmaoui (Hidalgo, I Heart Huckabees). Interestingly, Kassovitz adopts the actors' names for his three protagonists (Vinz, Hubert & Said), perhaps a device to try to bring his actors--and thereby his audience--closer to his subject. I think he succeeds in allying the camera, the actors and the audience with the struggles, loves and hates of three ordinary kids.
Their story revolves around a mutual friend (clinging to life in a hospital after a run-in with riot police), a gun (they find it after the same episode with police), and the city of Paris itself--not just the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elycees, but the whole sprawling metropolis.
These kids are stuck in the middle of a socio-economic sinkhole and they are incredibly class-conscious as a result. Watching them navigate these 24 hours of their lives, you end up loving them for their courage, humor and street smarts all the while dreading the fate that you feel must somehow await them.
The cinematography works seamlessly in tandem with the partisan point of view of the director. Everything in pretty much every frame seems to be there for the express purpose of reinforcing the boys' states of mind--righteous indignation, anger, fear, confusion, etc.
The camera and script both nod a few times to American filmmakers like Scorcese and Ford, and to American culture at large. (The gun the guys find is a .44 Magnum and Vinz does a little impression of Travis Bickle from 'Taxi Driver.')But, then again, these moments seem more like cinematic colloquialisms that underscore the banality of violence for entertainment's sake contextualized in a world that has forgotten to engage, protect or treasure its young people. A world that sees these kids as enemies.
Kassovitz rejects any impulse to defend such a world. Instead, he lends his talents to secure a place in the heart of the viewer for his three heroes, such as they are.
The film--released in Europe as 'La Heine' and subtitled for English speaking audiences and released as 'Hate' in 1996--is excellently acted by three young players: Vincent Cassel (Jefferson in Paris, Elizabeth, Oceans Twelve), Hubert Kound� (Constant Gardener) and Sa�d Taghmaoui (Hidalgo, I Heart Huckabees). Interestingly, Kassovitz adopts the actors' names for his three protagonists (Vinz, Hubert & Said), perhaps a device to try to bring his actors--and thereby his audience--closer to his subject. I think he succeeds in allying the camera, the actors and the audience with the struggles, loves and hates of three ordinary kids.
Their story revolves around a mutual friend (clinging to life in a hospital after a run-in with riot police), a gun (they find it after the same episode with police), and the city of Paris itself--not just the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elycees, but the whole sprawling metropolis.
These kids are stuck in the middle of a socio-economic sinkhole and they are incredibly class-conscious as a result. Watching them navigate these 24 hours of their lives, you end up loving them for their courage, humor and street smarts all the while dreading the fate that you feel must somehow await them.
The cinematography works seamlessly in tandem with the partisan point of view of the director. Everything in pretty much every frame seems to be there for the express purpose of reinforcing the boys' states of mind--righteous indignation, anger, fear, confusion, etc.
The camera and script both nod a few times to American filmmakers like Scorcese and Ford, and to American culture at large. (The gun the guys find is a .44 Magnum and Vinz does a little impression of Travis Bickle from 'Taxi Driver.')But, then again, these moments seem more like cinematic colloquialisms that underscore the banality of violence for entertainment's sake contextualized in a world that has forgotten to engage, protect or treasure its young people. A world that sees these kids as enemies.
Kassovitz rejects any impulse to defend such a world. Instead, he lends his talents to secure a place in the heart of the viewer for his three heroes, such as they are.
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