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Les Misérables (2020)

Les Misérables (2020)

7.8

An Oscar-nominated police thriller that's rough around the edges

Movie

France
Bambara, French
Crime, Drama, Thriller
2019

What it's about

Inspired by the 2005 riots in Paris; assigned to work alongside unethical police veterans Chris and Gwada in the' Anti-Crime Brigade, Brigadier Stéphane Ruiz – a recent transplant to the working-class suburb of Montfermeil, where Victor Hugo wrote his famous novel Les Misérables – struggles to establish a working relationship with influential community leaders while attempting to maintain some semblance of peace between his disreputable team and the citizens of the local housing projects. When what should be a simple arrest goes tragically awry, the three officers must individually reconcile with the aftermath of their actions while angling to keep the neighborhood from retaliating with mob violence.

The take

This Oscar-nominated French movie is set in Montfermeil, the Paris suburb where Victor Hugo wrote Les Misérables but which today is a rough neighborhood. Inspired by instances of police violence that happened in 2008, the movie follows a squad of police officers who try to keep the neighborhood under control. Their methods, or lack thereof, inevitably cause things to explode. This is a thriller with a message, one which sometimes feels forced; but the payoff at the end will make you forget all of that.

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