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Said is the first one on the streets after the riot playing with fire by spraying graffiti ("Fuck the pigs") on a police truck, with the cops only feet away. Since none of them notice Said is free to rush away and rouse Vinz from his bed, in a flat which he shares with his parents, siblings and aged grandmother. After a few hits from Vinz's spliff and some typically insulting dialogue (much of it referring to Vinz's sister) they're ready to go. To do what? Roam the streets and hang out with their homeboys probably; there are certainly no jobs for them. The desolation of the projects is obvious as they make their way to Hubert's gym - burnt-out cars, boarded-up windows and no prospects. Perhaps that should be what's left of the gym, for the flames of the riot have touched here also. Hubert is inside mauling a punchbag - it's all that survived.
The conversation naturally turns to the riot - Vinz swears that if the young arab dies he's going to kill a cop for revenge. This seems strange as Said is also an Arabic immigrant yet he isn't consumed by Vinz's passion and anger, perhaps recognising the futility. As the morning wears on the trio chill with some other bro's, smoke some more pot (harder drugs don't seem to be on the menu) and visit a well known fence. Surrounded by boxes of video recorders and TVs he's mostly concerned with his car, burnt out the previous night, rather than with the money he owes Said. They'll have to get it from 'Snoopy', a higher link in the chain. Before leaving the TV news mentions that a police gun was lost in the riots, whereabouts unknown. Not to Vinz though - he found it and now he feels big, like De Niro in Taxi Driver, if also a little paranoid.
Leaving the projects they head up-town; Snoopy lives in a rich neighbourhood where the cops are polite. He's a fairly psychotic fellow though finding out that Vinz has a gun and trying to draw him into Russian Roulette! Said doesn't get his money. However, immediately afterwards Said and Hubert are picked up by the cops for a spot of torture. Vinz escapes and they meet up later, having missed the last train. During their wanderings in the early Paris morning they find out that the young arab has died of his injuries. Hubert and Said fear that this could push Vinz over the edge, while they realise that shooting a cop won't change anything. Events conspire to show that in reality Vinz doesn't want to kill anyone, he just doesn't know how to deal with his frustration. The long night closes and the friends make their way home...
The sense of pressure, hopelessness and despair endemic in the projects permeate every minute of the film, yet the resilience of the human spirit shines through. With hyper-realistic dialogue Vinz, Hubert and Said argue, insult, laugh and shout with their homeboys and at the police. If this sounds depressing, it isn't. Humour is the key to survival; the reactions when they gatecrash an up-town art gallery and try to seduce the patrons is a classic example. Adding to this script is stunning camera-work, terrific editing (the dissolves from scene-to-scene are perfect) and a soundtrack which echoes the action memorably. If you feel put off by the b&w photography or documentary feel, don't be. You won't notice these aspects because they are fundamental to the film and only add to its intensity.
That this film lead to riots should be no surprise - you'll feel the same way afterwards! Watch it.
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