Atlaz

I have seen La Haine a handful of times now and with each viewing it just gets better.

The first thing that stands out about the film is the cinematography. It's rare that a film like this is considered both genuine and a good example of it's art but La Haine is both.

The plotline is compelling and realistic and neatly shows the way that inner city life has gone in the big cities in France as well as proving that despite the romance of Paris, it suffers from the same problems as any other major city.

The characters are above all believable and the cast did a great job. The quality of acting is simply stunning from several actors and it would be a shame if it was simply dismissed as "just another foreign art-house movie" by audiences outside France.

Above all the film whilst showing the influences of American films and society has a very clear sense of it's own identity and at no time does it feel like another US Ghetto film transposed to France. This is a major boon to the film and it stands out of the crowd for this, even though many people will dislike it because of this. It is, however, their loss.

It's hard to recommend this film highly enough, but I should add that more than one viewing is required to get the best from La Haine.

There are many people who seem to think that Asian movies are just about martial arts and gunfights but The Seven Samurai easily shows that the greats in Asia can easily match, or exceed, those that the West have to offer.

I have seen this film on numerous occasions and each time still feels like the first. The stunning direction of Akira Kurosawa and the acting of Toshirô Mifune make this stand out as one of the all time classics of cinema.

The length of the film seems to be one thing that puts people off it with the subtitles being the obvious other yet I cannot think of one person I know who has seen it who has not enjoyed it for a multitude of reasons.

There isn't much else to say. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. If you have, go watch it again!

Having sat and watched this film I can only wonder at the reasons for creating the film. This was without a doubt one of the worst films I've ever seen and had no redeeming features.

If it was supposed to be funny then it might have managed to be a very weak comedy but as an action thriller it was dire.

Slow, no plot, no real action, nothing approaching good dialogue and I've no idea about the characters. What else can I say. Avoid.