La Haine
Over one volatile day in the Parisian banlieues, three friends confront police brutality, racial tension, and the seductive threat of revenge.
Overview
A gripping exploration of friendship and desperation in the face of systemic oppression.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- angry
- oppressive
- urgent
- political film night
- social realism marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as a hard-hitting, visually striking, and uncompromising portrait of the social and economic divisions surrounding 1990s Paris.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Vinz, Saïd, and Hubert navigate a deprived French housing estate shaped by racist policing and social exclusion.
The black-and-white imagery renders the Parisian suburbs as stark, tense, and socially divided.
The police officer's lost handgun becomes the concrete focus of Vinz's threatened revenge and claims to respect.
The trio's movements unfold across approximately twenty-four hours after the preceding night's riots.
Films like La Haine, and why
Do the Right Thing
socially conscious urban drama centered on racial tension, police violence, and alienated youth
City of God
raw black-and-white social realism examining marginalized communities, institutional oppression, and escalating unrest
The Wire
hard-edged urban crime drama portraying disenfranchised young men and cycles of violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Mathieu Kassovitz
- Release Date
- 1995-05-31
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 8.1 / 10 (4720)
Cast
- Vincent Cassel
- Hubert Koundé
- Saïd Taghmaoui
- Abdel Ahmed Ghili
- Solo
- Joseph Momo
- Héloïse Rauth
- Rywka Wajsbrot
- Olga Abrego
- Laurent Labasse
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is La Haine about?
- Over one volatile day in the Parisian banlieues, three friends confront police brutality, racial tension, and the seductive threat of revenge.
- What is La Haine like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of La Haine as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is La Haine violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in La Haine as moderate.
- What did critics think of La Haine?
- Critics broadly praise the film as a hard-hitting, visually striking, and uncompromising portrait of the social and economic divisions surrounding 1990s Paris.
- Which films are like La Haine?
- Films with a similar feel include Do the Right Thing, City of God, and The Wire.
- How long is La Haine?
- La Haine runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch La Haine?
- In United States, La Haine streams on Criterion Channel.
