--- title: "Les Misérables: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/les-miserables-2019/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/les-miserables-2019" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Les Misérables (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 18 reviews: 11 positive, 6 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond positively to Les Misérables, praising its tense police-thriller craft and its close attention to life in the Paris banlieues. The praise clusters around the vivid sense of place, the street-level humour and realism, and filmmaking that makes encounters with unchecked authority feel threatening. Several reviews also value the film’s social urgency, while Julien Poupard’s kinetic cinematography receives particular praise for giving the setting a tangible physical presence. The reservations concern contrivance, uneven character development and a final act that some find too forceful for the more observant scenes preceding it. Variety argues that the police-centred story leaves residents underdeveloped, while The Hollywood Reporter finds the later plotting forced and generic. The spread is broad: most reviews recommend the film despite such reservations, but The Guardian is markedly cooler, finding it more compelling as a police procedural than as an increasingly violent social drama. ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2020. Freer calls the film tense, explosive, urgent, and a powerful debut. He praises its vivid sense of place and the kinetic, suspenseful action. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/les-miserables-2020/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2019. Turan finds the film culturally relevant, dramatically compelling and terrifyingly real. He especially praises its crackling authenticity and its refusal to offer easy solutions to complex problems. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-11-27/les-miserables-review) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Rating 4/5. 16 May 2019. Festival review. Sexton calls it an important, remarkable debut that deserves a Cannes prize. He praises its immediate, compelling filmmaking and deft pacing. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-2019-les-miserables-review-ladj-lys-remarkable-debut-captures-the-struggle-for-life-in-the-banlieues-a4143661.html) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 4/5. Parkinson calls the film an exceptional, combustible debut. He praises its charged blend of social drama and thriller, likening it to Do the Right Thing and Training Day. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5dxeu1/les-misrables/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 3 February 2020. De Semlyen calls it a nuanced, energized, hard-hitting crime drama and spiritual heir to La Haine. The review praises its crackerjack French police-drama execution. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/les-miserables) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B. 15 May 2019. Festival review. Ehrlich finds the film powerful despite a sometimes clumsy route to its incendiary conclusion. He praises Julien Poupard’s tactile, kinetic cinematography and highlights the young Issa’s bloodied face as an indelible image. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/les-miserables-review-cannes-2019-1202141330/) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Barsanti Rating 3/4. 6 January 2020. The critic calls the film a potent, vivid work and a cautionary tale about oppression and unrest. He praises its social realism while noting that the lion-cub plot point feels over the top. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/les-miserables-review-ladj-ly/) ## Little White Lies — Elena Lazic Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. Lazic finds the film gripping and largely successful, though occasionally contrived. She praises its urgent warning about violence and unrest in the banlieue. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/les-miserables-cannes-film-festival-review) ## Screen Daily — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2019. Festival review. The standfirst presents the film as an explosive debut that heats up the competition. It singles out the riotous Paris banlieues as its setting. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/les-miserables-cannes-review/5139434.article) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2020. The review finds the film a subtle, accessible portrait of social tensions, though its nihilistic ending sharply undercuts its earlier hope. It praises the insider perspective and striking drone photography. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/les-miserables-ladj-ly-paris-banlieu-drama) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jordan Mintzer Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2019. Festival review. Mintzer finds the film an impressive, engrossing, and provocative debut, though it is heavy-handed and predictable at times. He praises its expressive, authentic depiction of Montfermeil and the tense filmmaking, while criticizing the forced, generic third act. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/les-miserables-review-1210837/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2019. Festival review. Lodge finds the film an urgent, stylish social thriller, though its focus on the police leaves residents underdeveloped. He especially praises Ly’s vivid, intimate depiction of the community and the film’s tense scenes of unchecked authority. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/les-miserables-review-ladj-ly-1203215299/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 28 November 2019. The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint can be verified from the accessible text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/28/movies/les-miserables-review.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 2 January 2020. Lane finds the film gripping and socially unsettling, though he is unsure whether its explosive final act serves it well. He singles out the plausible, lightly comic street-level scenes for their nerve and realism, and the final image for its bleak force. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/13/paris-on-the-brink-in-les-miserables) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2019. Festival review. Bradshaw finds the film compelling as a cop procedural but less effective when it turns into a violent issue drama. He praises the pre-credit World Cup sequence and the street-level atmosphere, while faulting the riot’s loss of subtlety and dramatic force. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/15/les-miserables-review-ladj-ly-debut-feature-paris-suburb-cop-procedural) ## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2019. Mowe finds the film assured, vital and notably authentic, and sees Ladj Ly as a significant new talent. He especially praises the chance it gives residents of the housing estates to tell their own stories. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/les-miserables-2019-film-review-by-richard-mowe) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 January 2019. The review finds the film socially perceptive and formally assured, despite a familiar thriller setup. It especially praises Ly’s empathetic, humorous portrayal of the community and its factions. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/les-miserables-film-review-socially-minded-thriller-breathes-new-life-into-an-old-tale/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2019. Festival review. The URL identifies this as a review of Ladj Ly’s film at Cannes. The article text is blocked, so its verdict and any praised or criticized element cannot be determined. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/les-miserables-cannes-review-20190516/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/les-miserables-2019.md