La Haine Blew My Mind (But Not How I Expected)

Okay, so I finally got around to watching La Haine (Hate) and WOW. I went in expecting some gritty 90s action flick, maybe some sweet street fights or a chase scene or two. What I GOT was… something else entirely. No fancy car chases or explosions here, folks. This is raw, real. The whole movie follows these three dudes – Vinz, Hubert, and Saïd – after a riot in Paris. Their friend's in the hospital after getting messed up by the cops, and tensions are HIGH. Vinz, the angry one, finds a cop's gun and is all about revenge, which honestly scared the crap out of me. Like, you could feel the anger bubbling under the surface. Hubert, the boxer, is trying to keep everyone grounded, but good luck with THAT. And Saïd is just trying to keep the peace, failing horribly. The black and white cinematography REALLY added to the vibe, making everything feel even more stark and bleak. There were moments that made me laugh (the whole skinhead encounter on the train was darkly hilarious), but mostly it’s heavy. I'm used to seeing movies where the "good guys" win, or at least try. This one... not so much. There's this crushing feeling the whole time that something bad is gonna happen. The ending? I’m still trying to process it days later. It wasn't the kind of action I usually dig, but it's a different kind of powerful. More real. More unsettling. Definitely worth a watch if you're looking for something that sticks with you. I wouldn't say it has any explosions but the tension and the drama makes up for all of it. I don't know who the director is but I'll be looking more into their work. It reminded me a little of something like Do the Right Thing, but the French version (obviously), and set amongst projects. I can see why people still talk about this movie. It's not exactly fun, but it's important. Think I need to go watch something lighter now, maybe a classic '80s flick with some awesome car stunts to lighten the mood.