Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Stéphane has recently joined the Anti-Crime Squad in Montfermeil, in the suburbs of Paris, France, where Victor Hugo set his famed novel “Les Miserables”. Alongside his new colleagues Chris and Gwada – both experienced members of the team – he quickly discovers tensions running high between local gangs. When the trio finds themselves overrun during the course of an arrest, a drone captures the encounter, threatening to expose the reality of everyday life.
Ladj Ly's debut feature is a striking, hyper-tense police procedural that smartly evokes Victor Hugo's title without being a literal adaptation — it maps systemic inequality, police brutality, and suburban neglect onto contemporary Montfermeil with searing authenticity. The acting, particularly from the three leads and the young cast of non-professionals, is raw and convincing. Cinematography is urgent and immersive, using handheld work and the drone motif to claustrophobic effect. Its novelty is high: the film carves out a genuinely distinctive voice within the banlieue drama tradition, fusing thriller mechanics with social realism in a singular way. The ending — freezing on a moment of explosive potential rather than resolving the tension — is thematically powerful but may frustrate viewers expecting conventional closure, landing it slightly below the film's other strengths.