Hi everyone!
Today’s the return of Keith Lyons to the podcast, aka Philly Film Fan, who will continue covering films from the Philadelphia Film Festival here at One Movie Punch. And it just so happens that today’s film not only played at the festival, but was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film. He also covered another Golden Globe nominee recently, ATLANTICS (Episode #669), which you’ll definitely want to check out. For a couple other reviews from Keith, check out I LOST MY BODY (Episode #646) and his guest review during Reign of Terror 2019 for SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (Episode #622), where he also gave some ghostly assistance to yours truly.
Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the Top 5 from Fighting podcast. Every episode, Greg and Mike discuss a wide range of topics, and when they disagree, you know they’re gonna fight about it! Always fun, but always contentious, you don’t want to miss a single episode. You can find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @Top5forFighting. They have been some of our biggest supporters from last year. Shout out to their Marketing Angel. You know who you are!
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Here we go!
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Hi!
Philly Film Fan here with another review for One Movie Punch. You can follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan.
Today’s movie is LES MISÉRABLES, the French crime film directed by Ladj Ly and written by Giordano Gederlini, Alexis Manenti, and the director. I was able to catch this at the Philadelphia Film Festival, but it also played Cannes where it shared the Jury Prize with “Bacurau” (another film I saw at PFF). So far, it’s been nominated for a Golden Globe in the Foreign Language category and made the Oscar shortlist for Best International Feature, so more awards could be in its future.
No spoilers.
Okay, the first thing that you need to know about LES MISÉRABLES is that it is NOT based on the novel by Victor Hugo and it is definitely not a musical. However, the title is an obvious allusion to the famous literary work about the corrosive effects of poverty on society. Hugo’s novel tells the story of a failed revolution in 19th century Paris but Ladj Ly’s film takes its inspiration from the 2005 French riots. Although the film is fictional, it draws its plot from the actual events leading up to the riots: Police, responding to reports of a break-in, came upon a group of black kids who, seeing the police, scatter. Three of these kids took refuge in an electricity substation where two of them were electrocuted, causing a blackout. This incident ignited the already high tensions between the community and the police, sparking the riots. That’s the TL;DR version of what happened but obviously it’s a complicated situation that’s outside the scope of this movie review.
LES MISÉRABLES follows Ruiz, played by Damien Bonnard, as he joins the elite Anti-Crime Brigade. Ruiz is teamed up with Chris, a white officer played by Alexis Manenti (also one of the screenwriters), and Gwada, a black officer played by Djibril Zonga. Ruiz isn’t exactly new to being a police officer but he does seem a bit naive about the realities of policing a neighborhood primarily inhabited by African migrants and their descendents. Ruiz has a moral compass and a belief in the fair application of the law. But his principles are immediately called into question as he sees how Chris and Gwada do things. They are jaded veterans and think of the Anti-Crime Brigade more like an army occupying an enemy nation than an institution devoted to upholding law and civil liberties. This might be set in France but any American will recognize the conflict between a black community and the police force assigned to maintain order.
Ruiz and the Anti-Crime Brigade are on the hunt for Issa, a black kid played by Issa Perica, who is suspected of committing a rather unusual crime, which I will not spoil. Issa, who is only a child, finds himself desperate and on the run seeking protection from the two pillars of his community. But his situation is complicated by the fact that these pillars are trying to pull the community in opposite directions. The first is Salah, played by Almamy Kanouté, the owner of a kebab shop and a Muslim leader. Salah sees the destructive role that the Anti-Crime Brigade plays in his community and sees protecting Issa as his responsibility. But the other power player is a local gang leader known as “The Mayor”, played by Steve Tientcheu, who has his own reasons for keeping the police at bay. This is a dangerous political situation and Issa finds himself trapped between these powerful forces.
LES MISÉRABLES is a gritty crime thriller that unfolds with heart-pounding suspense. Yet, at the same time, it manages to tell the story of a corrupt police force patrolling a neighborhood plagued by poverty and racism. It’s a highly political drama about inequality that’s also a fast-paced action film. It’s a must-see!
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Metacritic: 75
One Movie Punch: 9.0/10
LES MISÉRABLES (2019) is rated R and is currently playing in selecttheaters. But it’s being distributed by Amazon, so I expect that Prime members will be able to stream it soon.
This jawn was brought to you by Philly Film Fan. For more movie reviews, follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan where I’m participating in the #366Movies challenge (it’s going to be a big year). That’s P-H-I-L-L-Y-F-I-L-M-F-A-N. Thanks for listening.
