Cillian Murphy Approves: Vincent Cassel’s Black & White 90s Masterpiece That ‘Hasn’t Aged’ Is on Prime

Summary:

• Cillian Murphy stated that Vincent Cassel’s must-watch feature hasn’t aged despite the fact it was released in 1995.
• It follows three diverse friends navigating through the violence and darkness of a poor neighborhood in Paris.

Being arguably the most famous modern French actor, Vincent Cassel became one of the prominent Hollywood figures with his performances in Black Swan (2010) and Jason Bourne (2016). However, his first big full-length feature was so remarkable, that even 29 years after the release, the acclaimed Cillian Murphy states it’s really timeless.

The story of this crime thriller revolves around three friends, Vinz (played by Cassel), a Jewish youth, Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui), an Arab, and Hubert (Hubert Koundé), a Black man, who live in an impoverished immigrant neighborhood in the suburbs of Paris.

After the police kill their friend Abdel during a youth’s riot, the trio is shocked and shattered, having lost their last hope for a brighter future. As they hang around the devastatingly bleak landscape of their district, they grapple with the realities of racism, relentless violence, both performed by the locals and by the brutal police.

The movie’s exploration of the universally essential issues, including discrimination and social and economic divisions affecting not only Paris of the 1990’s, but today’s world too, is enhanced by the sharp monochrome. It helps to emphasize the people’s harmful ambition to divide things into two groups: black and white, evil and good, etc.

Besides, this thriller’s spectacularity is supported by powerful performances, delivered by back-then non-professional actors. Cassel is particularly good in the role of the aggressive Vinz, secretly mimicking Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver.

The film’s title, inspired by a line spoken by the character of Hubert, "La haine attire la haine", "Hatred breeds hatred", reflects its razor-sharp message and character’s nature.

Indeed, back in 1995, La Haine, released in the United States as Hate, became the whole world’s sensation, due to its scope of the hidden meanings, outstanding and somewhat angry cinematic code and Mathieu Kassovitz’s directorial and casting decisions.

“Still relevant, still shocking. Stunning performances and direction. A film I revisit very often. Vincent Cassel is a bit of a hero,” states Murphy in addition to his previous comment about the movie, and we can’t agree with him more on this one.

The movie’s 96% of critical acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes are completely justified by its wholesomeness, from the deeply contrasted black and white, to the deeper conflict.

La Haine is now available for streaming on Prime.

Source: Letterboxd