Amazon Studios | Release Date: January 10, 2020
6.6
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 54 Ratings
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38
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8
Negative:
8
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10
VonSeuxApr 24, 2020
Brutal movie. Echoes City of God but surprisingly its right on the heart of EU. For anyone interested on social inequalities this movie is as revealing as a documentary, also directed by someone that comes from the background it descripts soBrutal movie. Echoes City of God but surprisingly its right on the heart of EU. For anyone interested on social inequalities this movie is as revealing as a documentary, also directed by someone that comes from the background it descripts so you feel is no bull. Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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7
GreatMartinJan 31, 2020
Anyone expecting to see Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" whether the novel, the several films in theatres and on TV or the recent hit musical on stage and in film will be disappointed even though there is a Hugo quote and it takes place in theAnyone expecting to see Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" whether the novel, the several films in theatres and on TV or the recent hit musical on stage and in film will be disappointed even though there is a Hugo quote and it takes place in the Parisian suburb of Montfermeil, an important part of the book. Also, women play very minor roles and there is no Fantine or Cosette.

The main story is that of a policeman, Stephane (played by Damien Bonnard) who joins the Anti-Crime Squad in Montfermeil teaming with Gwada (Djebril Zonga) and Chris (Alexis Manenti) and he is introduced to the many different groups from an African crime boss called 'The Mayor' (Steve Tientcheu) to Zorro (Raymond Lopez) the leader of a group of gypsies with a traveling circus, Salah (Almamy Kanoute)restaurant owner and Pasteur Marcello Tunasi as the leader of a Muslim group.

Very much involved with the adults are a couple of gangs of kids surviving the best way they can. At first we see them in the opening sequence of the movie reveling in their support of the French World Cup team contrasting with the way they live every day. The main youngster is Issa Perica who gives a strong performance as Issa, the one who gets everything in motion and gets the film off its slow start. Another young actor, Al-Hassan Ly, as Buzz, is into drones and not only provides the director Ladj Ly and the director of photography Julien Poupard with some beautiful shots while ugliness is at the heart of the screenplay written by Ly, Giordano Gederlini and Alexis Manenti but he is pivotal to what happens to everyone.

"Les Miserables" is a good film but obviously the first film based on a shorter film that he made which may explain why there are so many, too many, things, subjects and ideas thrown into this one instead of using some of the topics in his next film.
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0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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9
Brent_MarchantJan 25, 2020
This stunning urban crime drama based on themes first introduced in the classic Victor Hugo novel of the same name provides a gritty contemporary twist on the notions of liberty, equality, fraternity and social justice (and theirThis stunning urban crime drama based on themes first introduced in the classic Victor Hugo novel of the same name provides a gritty contemporary twist on the notions of liberty, equality, fraternity and social justice (and their all-too-frequent absence) all these many years later. Director Ladj Ly's Oscar-nominated offering for best foreign language film hits hard, seldom holding anything back and showing viewers a side of Paris rarely seen. With its fine performances, excellent cinematography and compelling electronic soundtrack by Pink Noise, the film captivates as it works its way through an increasingly tense narrative that leaves as many questions open as it resolves. This version of "Les Miserables" may not superficially resemble any of those that have preceded it, but it leaves an impact just as emotionally powerful -- if not more so -- than any of its predecessors, bringing Hugo's message into the present and shoving it squarely in our faces. Expand
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10
ShadahaFeb 11, 2020
Gripping to the point that it had me pinned in my chair when the screen went black, shaken and speechless. Evaluating from a place of pure emotion, this was the best film of the year.
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7
innnMay 12, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It starts with the celebration of a football match,a metaphor for frenchness and liberte/egalite/fraternite, thus a seeming unity and then proceeds to show the divide, the new youngsters in a new Bastille against the newest royalty and its lawful arm, the police. Stupid kids, stupid cops. The striking codewear of those cops on those streets easily mistakes them for teens or it just another red and white and blue flag for egality. There is the freeing of a captive lion cunningly sneaked as fuel in the script. It almost reads like african immigrant is just like the african animal born free and that you cannot entrap either one in your abusive and dumb consumer society. Dumb is a fitting word according to one such proud resident with patriarchal beard who after serving time just like the 'lion', now serves kebap and wisdom to the younger hopes of the community. Change is urgently needed, demanded and promptly served in the end when shopping carts, repurposed wine bottles and traffic signs all pour back into the heads of those that dumbly thought they were a good idea in the first place. I don't know if the director is white, black, muslim or atheist or what he had in mind directing this, but I was asking myself in the middle of it why am I looking at a couple of mature men against kids. The ending or should I say neverending scene, a nerve wrecking one and a dramatic achievement, the one the whole movie had to get to is one that pits against each other grown up arm-of-the law Ruiz and the growing Issa, the two real victims in the movie. Because even if the one that surely dies, Chris himself was in fact a humansize Molotov and he and colleague Gwada were both irresponsible, imature and acting one on whim and the other involuntarily, two faces and colours of the same coin. Expand
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7
GLADIADORJan 26, 2020
Filme bom, que fala sobre a criminalidade e racismo que existem na frança, sem fala do comportamento dos policiais
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7
fiftywordreviewFeb 3, 2020
Slow moving but engaging, Les Misérables is a well-crafted modern take on Victor Hugo’s classic novel. Ultimately a police procedural, the story often feels familiar, but strong performances from complex characters will hold your attentionSlow moving but engaging, Les Misérables is a well-crafted modern take on Victor Hugo’s classic novel. Ultimately a police procedural, the story often feels familiar, but strong performances from complex characters will hold your attention through the film’s intense final act. Expand
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