A Prophet

The storyline of this film is well documented by other reviewers. I read the reviews at 2.30 this afternoon and by 5 PM I was in the local cinema. I wondered if I could survive 150 minutes but I found myself at the end wishing to know more, and rather regretting the end of this fascinating movie. I am not an expert review writer but I found the character portrayals so realistic that they nearly jumped out of the screen. Yes there is violence, bloody in parts, but it is so monumentally well filmed I could look away from the gore and towards the film as a work of art. If there was a mixture of amateur and professional actors, I could not tell the difference.

The names and functions of some of the various characters were lost on me but I got the general gist of it and I was motivated to consider the effect on the psychology of an unremitting regime of politics and violence. There is much food for thought here and I can unreservedly recommend it to all but the most squeamish.

This was one of the first French film I have ever watched. I decided to give it a go.

Initially I wasn't holding out much hope when I placed the DVD into my drive, I was wrong.

The film is a hard hitting which keeps you gripped and awaiting the clever plot, it doesn't not disappoint and the way in which the plot unfolds is clever as well as realistic. The actors do a very good job and the main actor is especially good, the white mob boss is also a superb actor.

The film is about an Arab who enters jail after a life of trouble. He soon becomes gripped into the underworld of gang violence, he then joins a white gang whilst carrying out jobs for them. Whilst he cleverly starts to build his own empire.

Go watch this film now, sometimes I don't watch films if I have not seen reviews or thousands of votes here on IMD. Trust me on this film, one of the best films I have seen in a long time and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Un Prophète :: Jacques Audiard :: France :: 2008 : 2h35

A young man is being admitted into prison. The scars on his body and face betray a violent past. He can barely read and write. He has no friends. Malik (Tahar Rahim) is 19 years old. Out on the concrete courtyard, he is recruited by the ruthless Corsican mafioso César (Niels Arestrup) to kill a rival passing through their prison. Malik is beaten into submission. His life could have ended right there and then. But that is not how it was to be. Malif comes out the corner fighting.

Most of the film is concrete slabs and dirt. There is the constant murmur of the rumours passed around in Arabic and Corsican if it is not in banlieue slang French. And then there is the violence. Nobody gets punished because nobody interferes. Even when inmates get killed there is no indication that they are being investigated. The detainees are all on their own. We do see the state's legal machinery operating in the background with lawyers and judges shifting paper. We see the inmates work in the prison factory sowing clothes. We see the willing bullies being schooled. But the penitentiary staff shine mostly in their absence. Malik knows it is going to be a long 6 years.

He takes what he can get, and tries to make the best of himself. He could have made an excellent career for himself in the army, if life had been different. He has the adaptability, the patience, the dedication, the intelligence and the lack of moral restraint to make it far, in the right framework. If only he had been in an organisation which could contain and direct him, rather than unleash him, as prison did. We see him slowly becoming a man to be reckoned with, creating his own new order. Make no mistake, this young man is taking you along to the bitter end.

Un Prophète is a tough film to watch, but immaculately constructed. I can not claim to have captured the full finesse of the all the criminal dealings, but it does not matter. The audience is thrown into the story as the young Malik is. Thrown in, to live it with him. And live it, you will. It is a masterfully made film with a clever script, an excellent cast and a surprising attention to detail. A rare pearl in the genre, bound to be as rewarded as director Audiard's previous De Battre mon coeur s'est arrêté, which won no less than 8 Césars! (incitatus.org)

¨In exchange I offer you protection; If you don't kill him, I'll kill you. ¨ Jacques Audiard directs this great French prison film which is perhaps the best gangster movie I've seen since The Goodfellas. It has some great scenes combining violent action sequences with a character driven plot. Audiard has created a masterpiece; the entire film takes place mostly in the prison and he worked with ex convicts in order to set the right mood. Un Prophete (A Prophet) was nominated for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars and lost to the Argentinean movie, El Secreto de Sus Ojos, which was also a great character driven film. Audiard not only directed the film, but he also co-wrote the adaptation of the script along with Thomas Bidegain. It is an interesting character study on how an innocent man gets involved with the wrong people and becomes entangled in a life of crime. There is something symbolic about his illiteracy as he learns how to read in prison, and he also learns how the mob works by serving and getting involved with them, therefore the prison became his school both in a positive and negative way. When I watched this movie I couldn't help but compare several scenes with such classic movies as Scarface, The Godfather and The Goodfellas. This movie does have its flaws, for instance, women are depicted poorly as the few female characters are either prostitutes or weak minded, but the story makes up for it along with the lead actors who give terrific performances.

A nineteen year old Franco-Arab, named Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim), has just been sent to prison for six years in Brecourt for assaulting a police officer. He is alone in prison without any friends and has to learn how to survive. At first he tries to stay in the down low, but solitary convicts are the easiest prey. The prisoners are divided in two groups, the Muslims on the one hand and the Corsicans, who seem to be in control of the prison because they have several connections with the guards, on the other. Malik is an Arab, but he doesn't practice their religion so he doesn't seem to fit with the Muslims and he isn't Corsican either. Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup) is the leader of the Corsicans inside the prison and after a new Arab prisoner arrives who happens to be a key witness against one of them, Cesar has to find a way of killing him before the trial. The problem is that since he is an Arab he can't get to close to him and therefore realizes that Malik is the right person for the job. The Corsicans force Malik to kill him and offer protection in return, although Malik doesn't really have an option because if he doesn't comply they will kill him. Malik, despite being an Arab, begins serving the Corsicans and little by little wins the confidence of Cesar, although he is seen by the rest of the mobsters as a dirty Arab. Malik begins learning how to read and befriends his teacher, Ryad (Adel Bencherif), and at the same time he begins learning Corsican and the mobster lifestyle. Little by little Malik begins to learn more about criminal life and slowly begins to rise. He is not the same person he was when he arrived at the prison.

Un Prophete has a very interesting plot, but it works in the most part because of the great performances given by the lead actors Tahir Rahim and Niels Arestrup who are just outstanding and very believable in their roles. The success of a character driven movie depends most of the time on the actors, and newcomer Tahir Rahim gives an Oscar worthy performance. The movie is about two and a half hours long and requires your full attention because of the parallel action sequences, but the movie doesn't seem to drag at any point and it never gets to a point where you begin to lose interest. Un Prophet is an excellent film and one you will enjoy. It is definitely worth your time so I recommend you check this movie out.

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At times hard to watch but in the end you come out with the feeling of having watched a masterpiece.

Perfect acting, scenario, directing, cinematography & sound...

This is definitely not a Hollywood production, but the best of what french cinema can be.

Audiard is a great director, having previously made "Read my lips" which i also recommend.

The main actor Tahar Rahim is a revelation, keep an eye on him in the future.

Niels Arestrup is also quite good in his role as a corsican crime boss