Les Misérables (2019)

"There is an insight, compassion and generosity of spirit here that most films saddled with the "gritty, urban thriller" tag never even aspire to. That Ly is capable of this maturity and confidence on debut is astonishing."

"It's a vivid dissection of modern-day France's social ills that's juiced up with smart acting, tense standoffs and a nagging sense of despair."

"The colossal conflagration becomes paradoxically less exciting, and the tang of black comedy vanishes when real bloodshed appears."

"For all its familiarity, Ly's film is executed with enormous confidence and energy, building up to an apocalyptic ending that delivers on a gradual build-up of nervous tension."

"A gritty and fiery urban thriller underscored by scathing social commentary on the current state of the Paris suburbs, depicted here as a powder keg ready to pop."

"Occasionally recalling the more urgent, ragged work of Spike Lee in its feverish, on-the-ground formal energy, "Les Misérables" is aptly galling as a study of everyday power structures tested and exploited to breaking point..."

"[A] crackling police thriller partly inspired by the civil unrest that swept through Paris in 2005."

"Though Chris' crass dialogue feels a little too scripted at times, and some of the real-life details about life in Montfermeil are clumsily introduced, the film largely succeeds in making us understand the dynamic of this place."

"Ly's debut is certainly impressive."