Les Miserables

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Les Miserables

PG-13

1998

2h 11m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

After serving a lengthy prison sentence, Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) turns his life around after an act of kindness opens his eyes, becoming a beloved mayor of a French town. A policeman, Javert (Geoffrey Rush), who was a prison guard when Valjean was locked up, has a vendetta against him and tries to denounce him as a criminal despite a lack of evidence. Spanning several decades, the story of Javert and Valjean's rivalry is set against the backdrop of post-Revolution French society.

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Critics Consensus

This intelligent, handsomely crafted adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel condenses the story's developments without blunting its emotional impact.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

03/26/2009

Without a doubt the most emotionally powerful and handsomely mounted production of the story yet.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

01/01/2000

2.5/4

It contains the moments of high drama, clearly outlines all the motivations, is easy to follow and lacks only passion. A story filled with outrage and idealism becomes somehow merely picturesque.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

01/01/2000

4.5/5

Condensing a massive tome like Les Misrables into a cohesive 129-minute film is a labor of love in any case, and August succeeds with remarkable, powerful results.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

01/23/2021

7/10

Rarely does the quality rise to feel particularly striking or transcendent, but to criticise that too much would be to punish the film for simply being really quite good instead of exceptional.

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

01/27/2013

6/10

Neeson's is an outstanding, memorable Jean Valjean who does a mighty job of anchoring this film and keeping its drama earthy and humane.

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David Poland

Movie City News

12/06/2012

I feel like saying I hate this movie. I really don't. I was just bored out of my mind by its lack of anything real.

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Judah S

@Judah3963 Jul 12

It was too beautiful of a story to want to pick at all its imperfections.

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Joel H

@786Joel Jun 6

Do you hear the people sing? Well, no, because this version of Les Misérables isn’t a musical. And that’s okay. It still has great performances from Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, and Uma Thurman. It moves at a fairly quick pace, too, because it has a lot of ground to cover while trimming out a lot of subplots. This film primarily focuses on the story of Jean Valjean and Javert, which may disappoint some fans of the Cosette, Marius, and Eponine love triangle. It also ends much sooner than those accustomed to the musical might want. Nevertheless, this is a formidable adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel.

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Drew B

@RT87397005 01/07/2025

The 2012 film was not an improvement on this one imo. Much better. The scene between the lead chracter and the priest gets me every time. Literally a near perfect movie. There was no reason to create another imo.

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Christopher W

@sn0bordrd004 11/07/2024

Unbelievably powerful story! Every time it pops up as movie option, my wife and I both think "powerful." And compared with the 2012 musical Les mis, without the requirements of a musical score and rhyming, the story is better able to shine through.

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SF D

@RT37124724 10/26/2024

I am speechless, it's a must see

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Lanfranco C

@Lanfrancobz 03/03/2024

A good Summary of a great Novel.

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Bille August

Director

Liam Neeson

Valjean

Geoffrey Rush

Javert

Uma Thurman

Fantine

Claire Danes

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Hans Matheson

Marius

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Les Miserables: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

After serving a lengthy prison sentence, Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) turns his life around after an act of kindness opens his eyes, becoming a beloved mayor of a French town. A policeman, Javert (Geoffrey Rush), who was a prison guard when Valjean was locked up, has a vendetta against him and tries to denounce him as a criminal despite a lack of evidence. Spanning several decades, the story of Javert and Valjean's rivalry is set against the backdrop of post-Revolution French society.

Director: Bille August
Producer: Sarah Radclyffe, James Gorman, Caroline Hewitt
Screenwriter: Rafael Yglesias
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 1, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.9M
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Surround

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