Main Cast: Jean-François Richet, Arco Descat C., Jean-Marie Robert, Malik Zeggou
Release Year: 1997
Country: FR
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
Outwardly a chilling portrait of the aimless lives of unemployed inner city youths living on society's fringe, the underlying message of this volatile drama seems to call for violence to rectify social injustices. The film centers on two teenaged gangs who basically terrorize their neighborhoods with their anarchic behavior. There are few limits to their unpleasant philosophy of "desire equals acquisition." The loosely structured tale reaches its climax at a concert where the two rival groups collide. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Ma 6-T va crack-er ("My City is Going to Crack" derived from Fr.: craquer Engl.: break down and the narcotic drug Crack cocaine) is a French movie, directed by Jean-François Richet in 1997, caricaturing gang warfare.
The story is set in a cité (6-T in French slang), or housing project, in the Parisian suburb of Meaux. The residents are unhappy about their living conditions, and are rebelling against this. Some critics compare it to the movie starring Vincent Cassel, La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz and to Le Cercle de la haine.
Impact of the film
French rap did well in the early 90s in France because of its rebellious lyrics content. It is used to illustrate the link between the reality and the atmosphere of this film, and to incite anger in the viewer.
Artists such as IAM, X-Men, Assassin, KRS-One, 2 Bal, Mystik and more feature on the soundtrack, supporting Jean-François Richet's cinematography.
Criticism
This film is considered by politicians in particular to be one of the reasons for the 2005 civil unrest in France, although they have shown no evidence of why it took 8 years to have any effect.
