HATE

Boldly direct in its analysis of the mechanics of exclusion, HATE could have been an interesting documentary, but it is much better than that. Mathieu Kassovitz's highly stylized, angry shout of a film opens a window onto the realitities of French society while establishing itself firmly in the tradition of American filmmakers such as Spike Lee or Martin Scorsese. Set in dismal suburbs that circle Paris, three yourths – Said, a North African; Hubert, a black; and Vinz, a lower-class Jew – angrily stride through the streets of their city, enraged by the fact that one of their buddies has been badly injured by the police after a riot the previous night. When Vinz finds a loaded gun lost by the police at the riot, the balance of power changes completely and revenge becomes a distinct possibility. Kassovitz introduces each major sequence of the film with exact time, driving us towards the film's harrowing conclusion with remorseless logic.