• Not a direct adaptation of Hugo’s novel—a contemporary film that is certainly inspired by it- with the line “There are no bad plants or bad men; there are only bad cultivators” used in the finale
  • The debut of Ladj Ly and one that shows promise—an exciting new voice—potent storytelling ability. Ly clearly can opera a crowd and has a skill for shooting on location.
  • The opening is impressive- crowds gather, the flag prominently displayed (as clear as the Hugo line that ends the film), for a soccer rally— a stunning frame with the flag on the Champs-Élysées

The opening is impressive- crowds gather, the flag prominently displayed (as clear as the Hugo line that ends the film), for a soccer rally— a stunning frame with the flag on the Champs-Élysées

  • Reoccurring use of aerial shots like Ben Affleck film — shows the project buildings where these characters live in, but also the drone aerial shot is a big part of the films narrative

Reoccurring use of aerial shots like Ben Affleck film — shows the project buildings where these characters live in, but also the drone aerial shot is a big part of the films narrative

  • Inevitable and mostly apt comparisons to Kassovitz’s La Haine from 1995 and Training Day– one day in the life of cops and criminals—we even have Ruiz (actor Damien Bonnard) as essentially a rookie cop on his first day. It is gritty and realistic.
  • The law the boy breaks is important in Ly’s message- he steals a lion cub from the circus
  • Ly also shows shades of grey and nuance in these characters. The two cops who take Ruiz around are largely unsympathetic and hard to get behind —but Ly puts in a scene where one is crying to his mother, and in another scene the other cop is at home being a father to his children.
  •  Ly builds up the standoff climax on the stairs, and then backs off it beautifully for a potent open ending
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 2019