Establishes incendiary drama within a powder-keg setting for a thoroughly engrossing, tense 105 minutes. Full Review

Rating: 7/10 -- There's strength in seeing a filmmaker use what they've learned from older cinema as well as their current reality. Full Review

Its merely plot-driven depictions of its residents converges with Ly's merely functional direction, to flatten "Les Misérables" into the undistinguished style of conventionally apolitical and socially indifferent conventional crime dramas. Full Review

Rating: 4/5 -- 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 [Director Ladj] Ly is capable of this maturity and confidence on debut is astonishing. Full Review

The urgency that's pulsating through the film is endemic of that same restless energy that Ly is using to tap into a sense of angry despair that each character on screen seems to recognise. Full Review

Les Misérables isn't without its faults, but there can be no denying that Ly's debut feature is a breathless, exhilarating ride which will have you thinking about it long after the credits roll. Full Review

Rating: 3.5/5 -- When it reaches its boiling point, "Les Misérables" absolutely roils. Full Review