MovieChat Forums > La haine (1996) Discussion > Is La Haine an anti-Police film?

Is La Haine an anti-Police film?


A lot of people suggest it is an anti police film, however, im sure there are reasons why it isn't...

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Some of the police shown are not favourable characters and are racist. I think it shows that some police are part of the problem without being anti-police in general.

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[deleted]

It is anti-police, Kassovitz in some extras i have viewed mentions this and tries to grasp how a person entrusted to an establishment, could be pushed to a point to killing a young person whilst being detained(chained to a radiator i believe the real life case).

Saying that i also believe the film tries to show the police in a positive light (not judging all by the same cover), such as the plain clothed officer who helps Said and the officer who is polite in the city, so i guess its like life, with the the good come a minority of bad...on both sides..just a thought :)

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Yeah, I'd agree with that. For the most part it can easily be seen as an anti-Police film, especially when Said and Hubert are being beaten by those two cops, but with that have the one who doesn't like what he's seeing. If I'm remembering it rightly though, that one cop didn't do anything about it, which is a problem that needs to be looked at.
But at the same time, the film doesn't try to show the civilians in a great light, so it's not as if the Police are pure evil with no justification at all.

"God, when I meet you, I'm gonna be pretty. If it's the last thing I do. I'll be a beautiful angel."

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no, its not an "anti-Police" film...

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It's an Anti-France film.

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It doesn't really take any sides. It shows some bad cops, but it also shows good cops. Kinda like real life.

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To some extent you could argue its anti - Police as they do oppress the protagonists along with others by using excessive force. Saying that the characters sometimes made it hard for themselves when confronting the police.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

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"There are good cops, there's no such thing as a good skinhead." -Hubert

Vinz is obviously against cops and most of the anti-police stuff that happens has to do with him. Hubert on the other hand, despite being the one whose brought in and roughed up by the two racist cops, looks at it as being much less black and white.

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The bourgeoisie would say it's anti-Police, since most of their conduct is contemptible in the film, and that doesn't square with their prevailing view that it's mostly a positive institution with a few bad apples. The view from the ghetto, unsurprisingly, is the opposite; Said is so struck by his experience that he marvels at it.

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Then the burgeoisie would be correct.

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I saw this film for the first time just a few months after the Mike Brown incident in Ferguson and definitely saw some parallels. This film isn't "anti-police" as much as it is a reflection of corrupt, racist police and happens when a community lashes out against the offenses committed by cops. The film acknowledges that not all cops are bad but stands by the fact that in a lot of cases the bad cops run wild with little to no consequence.

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in bad neighborhoods, the police are more likely to be corrupt, in good neighborhoods, less.

bad cops are simply a natural reaction to bad citizenry, it's a vicious cycle.

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are people this stupid? the film goes out of its way to show that it isn't anti-police.

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Even the director himself has made mentions of being anti-police.

However, yes, obviously even the problematic youngsters are, several times, pictured as very unstable and difficult to deal with.

The movie succeeds in showing us both problems.
It's hard for the police to not be aggressive and violent when the people are always defying them and trying to cause problems.
It's also hard for the people to not revolt in those conditions. They are born in hate and, as said, hate will generate hate.

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It is not anti-police, it is anti-society.

The divide in upper and lower class
how the society treats the people in it based on this class
and mostly who suffers

Police are the authority which is in direct touch with the people and hence all the hate is channeled to them.

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