La Haine

{{lang|fr|La Haine}} opens with a montage of news footage depicting urban riots in a {{lang|fr|banlieue}} in the commune of {{lang|fr|Chanteloup-les-Vignes|italic=no}} near Paris. In the aftermath of the riots, a local man named {{lang|fr|Abdel Ichaha|italic=no}} is gravely injured in police custody and is in intensive care. The riots escalate, leading to a siege of the local police station and the loss of a police officer's revolver. The film follows the lives of three friends of Abdel, who are all young men from immigrant families, over approximately twenty consecutive hours.

Vinz, a young Jewish man with an aggressive temperament, seeks revenge for Abdel's condition. He harbors a deep hatred for all police officers and secretly emulates Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver in front of his bathroom mirror. {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}}, an Afro-French boxer and small-time drug dealer, aspires to escape the {{lang|fr|banlieue}} and create a better life for himself. However, his boxing gymnasium was destroyed in the riots. {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}}, a young North African Muslim, acts as a mediator between Vinz and {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}} who constantly argue.

The three friends lead a directionless daily routine and frequently find themselves under police surveillance. At a rooftop party which is broken up by the police, Vinz insults a plainclothes police officer. After the trio leaves, Vinz reveals that he has discovered the .44 Magnum revolver lost during the riot. He plans to use it to kill a police officer if Abdel dies. While {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}} disapproves, Vinz secretly takes the gun with him. They try to visit Abdel in the hospital but are stopped by the police. {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}} is arrested after they aggressively refuse to leave, but he is later released with the assistance of a police officer who knows his brother.

A disagreement arises between Vinz and {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}} regarding their perspectives on policing and violence, leading them to part ways temporarily. {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}} accompanies Vinz, while {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}} briefly returns home. They reunite at another gathering in the {{lang|fr|banlieue}}, which quickly descends into chaos when Abdel's brother attempts to murder a police officer as an act of revenge. This triggers a confrontation with the police, and the group narrowly escapes after Vinz almost shoots a riot officer. They board a train to Paris, where their interactions with both friendly and hostile Parisians escalate several situations into dangerous confrontations.

In a public restroom, they encounter a Polish survivor of the gulag who tells them a story about a man who froze to death after he refused to relieve himself in public near the train and then failed to re-board in time. The trio is perplexed by the meaning of the story.

Later, they visit {{lang|fr|Astérix|italic=no}}, a frequent cocaine user who owes money to {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}}. This visit leads to a violent confrontation, as {{lang|fr|Astérix|italic=no}} appears to force Vinz to play Russian roulette, although the gun is secretly unloaded. They encounter sadistic plainclothes police officers who arrest {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}} and {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}} while Vinz manages to escape. The police officers verbally and physically abuse the duo before imprisoning them until late at night, causing the three friends to miss the last train from Saint-Lazare station and spend the night on the streets.

After being kicked out of an art gallery and failing to hotwire a car, the trio takes shelter in a shopping mall. They hear from a news broadcast that Abdel has died. They make their way to a rooftop, where they insult skinheads. However, they encounter the same group of skinheads who mercilessly attack {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}} and Hubert. Vinz intervenes, holding one of the skinheads at gunpoint. Despite Hubert pushing Vinz to execute him, Vinz hesitates and ultimately lets the skinhead go.

In the early morning, the trio returns home, and Vinz hands the gun over to {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}}. Vinz and {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}} encounter the officer whom Vinz had insulted at the rooftop party. The officer seizes Vinz, threatening him with a loaded gun against his head. {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}} rushes to their aid, but the officer accidentally discharges his gun, killing Vinz. A tense standoff ensues between {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}} and the officer, as {{lang|fr|Saïd|italic=no}} closes his eyes. A single gunshot is heard, leaving it unclear who fired the shot or who may have been struck.

This climactic standoff is accompanied by a voice-over of {{lang|fr|Hubert|italic=no}}'s slightly modified opening lines ("It's about a society in free fall...") and the recurring phrase {{lang|fr|jusqu'ici tout va bien}} ("so far so good"). The film portrays a microcosm of French society's descent from hostility into senseless violence, emphasizing that despite appearances, all is not well and the future remains uncertain.

{{Cast listing|

• Vincent Cassel as Vinz
• Hubert Koundé as Hubert
• Saïd Taghmaoui as Saïd
• Marc Duret as Inspector Notre Dame
• Benoît Magimel as Benoît
• Abdel Ahmed Ghili as Abdel
• François Levantal as Astérix (named Snoopy in some English editions)
• Andrée Damant as the concierge
• Philippe Nahon as police chief
• Zinedine Soualem as plainclothes police officer
• Vincent Lindon as drunk guy
• Karin Viard as gallery girl
• Peter Kassovitz as gallery patron
• Anthony Souter as skinhead
• Mathieu Kassovitz as captured skinhead

}}

Kassovitz has said that the idea came to him when a young Zairian, {{lang|fr|Makomé M'Bowolé|italic=no}}, was shot in 1993. He was killed at point blank range while in police custody and handcuffed to a radiator. The officer was reported to have been angered by {{lang|fr|M'Bowolé|italic=no}}'s words, and had been threatening him when the gun went off accidentally.{{cite journal |first=Kevin |last=Elstob |title=Hate (La Haine) review |journal=Film Quarterly |volume=51 |issue=2 |date=1 December 1997 |pages=44–49 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |doi=10.2307/3697140 |issn=0015-1386 |jstor=3697140 }} Kassovitz began writing the script on 6 April 1993, the day {{lang|fr|M'Bowolé|italic=no}} was shot. He was also inspired by the case of {{lang|fr|Malik Oussekine|italic=no}}, a 22-year-old student protester who died after being badly beaten by the riot police after a mass demonstration in 1986, in which he did not take part.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/30/international/europe/30smashers.html?_r=0 |work=The New York Times |first=Elaine |last=Sciolino |author-link=Elaine Sciolino |title=Violent Youths Threaten to Hijack Demonstrations in Paris |date=30 March 2006 }} {{lang|fr|Oussekine}}'s death is also referred to in the opening montage of the film.{{cite web |last=Vincendeau |first=Ginette |date=8 May 2012 |title=La haine and after: Arts, Politics, and the Banlieue |url=http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/642-la-haine-and-after-arts-politics-and-the-banlieue|website=The Criterion Collection}} {{lang|fr|Mathieu Kassovitz|italic=no}} included his own experiences; he took part in riots, he acts in a number of scenes and includes his father Peter in another.

The majority of the filming was done in the Parisian suburb of {{lang|fr|Chanteloup-les-Vignes|italic=no}}. Unstaged footage was used for this film, taken from 1986 to 1995; riots still took place during the time of filming. To actually film in the {{lang|fr|banlieues}}, Kassovitz, the production team and the actors, moved there for three months prior to the shooting as well as during actual filming.{{cite web |last=Tooze |first=Gary |title=La Haine |url=http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdreviews5/hate.htm |date=2005 |access-date=12 December 2011 |website=DVD Beaver }} Due to the film's controversial subject matter, seven or eight local French councils refused to allow the film crew to film on their territory. Kassovitz was forced to temporarily rename the script {{lang|fr|Droit de Cité}}.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/why-the-prime-minister-had-to-see-la-haine-1578297.html |work=The Independent |first=Sheila |last=Johnston |title=Why the prime minister had to see La Haine |date=19 October 1995 }} Some of the actors were not professionals and the film includes many situations that were based on real events.

The music of the film was handled by French hardcore rap group Assassin, whose song "{{lang|fr|Nique la Police}}" (translated as "Fuck the Police") was featured in one of the scenes of the film{{Citation needed |reason=unsure, but possible confusion with the song "La Haine", by DJ Cut Killer (not Assassin) |date=May 2021 }}. One of the members of Assassin, Mathias "Rockin' Squat" Crochon, is the brother of {{lang|fr|Vincent Cassel|italic=no}}, who plays Vinz in the film.

The film is dedicated to those who died while it was being made.

Upon its release, La Haine received widespread critical acclaim and was well received in France and abroad. The film was shown at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival where it enjoyed a standing ovation. Kassovitz was awarded the Best Director prize at the festival. The film opened at number one at the French box office with a gross of 12.5 million Francs for the week.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|page=12|date=12 June 1995|title=International box office|quote=$2,557,982; $1=4.9FF}} It was number one for four consecutive weeks. The film had a total of 2,042,070 admissions in France where it was the 14th highest-grossing film of the year.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 69 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Hard-hitting and breathtakingly effective, La Haine takes an uncompromising look at long-festering social and economic divisions affecting 1990s Paris."{{cite web|title=La Haine (1996)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_haine/|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=20 July 2023}} Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "raw, vital and captivating".{{cite news|title=Compelling, Bleak Look at 'Hate'|first=Kevin|last=Thomas|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-08-ca-44396-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=8 March 1996|access-date=7 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107124207/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-08/entertainment/ca-44396_1_mathieu-kassovitz|archive-date=7 November 2012|url-status=live}} Wendy Ide of The Times stated that La Haine is "[o]ne of the most blisteringly effective pieces of urban cinema ever made."{{cite news|title=La Haine|first=Wendy|last=Ide|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article471243.ece|newspaper=The Times|date=19 August 2004|access-date=7 July 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525100345/https://www.webcitation.org/5zzKyBCst?url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article471243.ece|archive-date=25 May 2024|url-status=dead}}

After the film was well received upon its release in France, Alain Juppé, who was Prime Minister of France at the time, commissioned a special screening of the film for the cabinet, which ministers were required to attend. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said that, despite resenting some of the anti-police themes present in the film, Juppé found La Haine to be "a beautiful work of cinematographic art that can make us more aware of certain realities."

It was ranked number 32 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.{{cite web|title=The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema {{!}} 32. La Haine|url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=32|work=Empire|year=2010|access-date=7 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202090911/http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=32|archive-date=2 December 2011|url-status=live}}

• Best Director (1995 Cannes Film Festival) – Mathieu Kassovitz{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3379/year/1995.html|title=Festival de Cannes: La Haine|access-date=4 September 2009|work=Festival de Cannes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308192600/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3379/year/1995.html|archive-date=8 March 2012|url-status=live}}
• Best Editing (César Awards) – Mathieu Kassovitz and Scott Stevenson
• Best Film (César Awards) – Mathieu Kassovitz
• Best Producer (César Awards) – Christophe Rossignon
• Best Young Film (European Film Awards) – Mathieu Kassovitz
• Best Foreign Language Film (Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards)
• Best Director (Lumières Award) – Mathieu Kassovitz
• Best Film (Lumières Award) – Mathieu Kassovitz

La Haine was available on VHS in the United States, but was not released on DVD until The Criterion Collection released a two-disc edition in 2007. Both HD DVD and Blu-ray versions have also been released in Europe, and Criterion released the film on Blu-ray in May 2012. The release includes audio commentary by Kassovitz, an introduction by actress Jodie Foster, "Ten Years of La Haine", a documentary that brings together cast and crew a decade after the film's landmark release, a featurette on the film's banlieue setting, production footage, and deleted and extended scenes, each with an afterword by Kassovitz.{{cite web|title=La haine|url=http://www.criterion.com/films/216-la-haine|publisher=The Criterion Collection}}

La Haine was also released in 4K Blu-ray format by Criterion on 2 April 2024.

{{Portal|Film}}

• Les Misérables (2019 film), a film with a similar theme and setting
• List of French-language films
• List of hood films
• Social situation in the French suburbs

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|0113247}}
• {{tcmdb title|id=443232}}
• {{Mojo title|hate}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|la_haine}}
• [http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/642-la-haine-and-after-arts-politics-and-the-banlieue La haine and after: Arts, Politics, and the Banlieue] – an essay by Ginette Vincendeau at The Criterion Collection

{{Mathieu Kassovitz}}

{{César Award for Best Film}}

{{European Film Award for Discovery of the Year}}

{{Lumières Award for Best Film}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haine}}

Category:1995 films

Category:1995 crime drama films

Category:1995 independent films

Category:1990s French-language films

Category:Best Film César Award winners

Category:Best Film Lumières Award winners

Category:European Film Awards winners (films)

Category:Films about police brutality

Category:Films about police misconduct

Category:Films about racism in France

Category:Films directed by Mathieu Kassovitz

Category:Films set in Paris

Category:Films shot in Paris

Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Lumières Award

Category:French black-and-white films

Category:French crime drama films

Category:French independent films

Category:French neo-noir films

Category:1990s hood films

Category:StudioCanal films

Category:1990s French films

Category:Films set in Île-de-France