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Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem Yacoubi ... see more see more... , Jean-Philippe Ricci , Gilles Cohen , Antoine Basler , Leïla Bekhti , Pierre Leccia , Foued Nassah , Jean-Emmanuel Pagni , Frederic Graziani , Slimane Dazi

An impressionable and vulnerable Arabic man gets thrust into a hellish prison, and ironically discovers greater opportunities for success than he ever possessed outside of the bars, in this violent me... read more read more...lodrama from French succès d'estime Jacques Audiard (The Beat That My Heart Skipped). Tahar Rahim stars as Malik El Djebena, a petty criminal incarcerated for six years. Once inside and subjected to all of the standard brutalities that most prisoners endure, he is quickly educated in the "ways" of the prison, an institution torn violently between gangs of Corsicans and Arabs. The head Corsican thug, César Luciani (Niels Arestrup), offers Malik an ultimatum: either he rubs out an Arab inmate named Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi), or he himself dies. Not only does Malik succeed with the hit, he earns the begrudging respect of the other prisoners, and -- after securing several days' release for good behavior -- uses off-time to forge a deeper and more multi-layered network of criminal ties than he ever dreamed possible. But as his own power and confidence grow, they threaten to outstrip César's own insistence on submission and obedience at all costs. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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88% liked it

21,590 ratings

Critics

97% liked it

144 critics

R, 2 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Jacques Audiard

Release Date: February 26, 2010

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DVD Release Date: August 3, 2010

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Stats: 2,268 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,268)

  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    The first 30 minutes is so marvelously orchestrated. The rest of the movie doesn't capture the same tension but it is still an incredibly rich and engaging movie. Gritty, riveting, and powerful, you'll be thinking about this movie, weeks after watching it.
  • fb1216165431
    September 22, 2011
    fb1216165431
    A Prophet is a crime drama thriller vividly featuring a hard-fought survival and position in power at a prison caste system in fine and original detail. Surpassing of conventions that aggressively underscores the dynamics of power, politics, spirituality, and gang economics and c... read moreulture, A Prophet is a rare masterpiece of its genre that leaves an arresting impression.
  • deano
    September 22, 2011
    deano
    It was incredible story as director Jacques Audiard is in love with the promise and potential of the crime thriller genre.
    As small-time teen crim Malik, Tahar Rahim shifts from wary tough-nut to keen student to aloof enigma in the furrow of a brow. It's a masterful performance ... read morebut it has to be, as Audiard's roving camera never leaves him. Regarded as a dirty Arab by the Corsican cons and a greasy Corsican by the Arab inmates, Malik is our guide through the nightmare labyrinth of the French penal system and its network of warring tribes.
    Characters introduced with chapterised freeze-frames and cool intertitles are passed over or forgotten about (most unforgivably, fellow inmate Reyeb himself), while bigger ideas like Malik's ability to see into the future (the prophecies of the title) and his status as a hero within the narrative just seem confused.
  • cosmo313
    August 5, 2011
    cosmo313
    It's nice to see a crime drama/prison film not made by or in the United States. That's what this is: a French film about an Arab criminal who goes to prison with nothing, and leaves as the king of a criminal empire. Great rags to riches story with a new twist on things. That's p... read moreretty much the plot, plain and simple.

    This film isn't about plot though, but is instead a character study which gets into the heads of the characters, and also explores the French prison system, and the dynamics between the ethnic groups housed within, specifically the two main factions: the Corsicans (the long time power holders among the prisoners), and the Muslims, the up and comers.

    The film's protagonist Malik is Arab, and when he enters prison, he is 19 and iliterate. He becomes a pawn of the Corsican leader, but soon gets his own plan into motion. The film pretty much sticks to reality ,save for some odd scenes where Malik is visited by the ghost of a guy he was forced to kill. These scenes arwen't bad, but with the way they are handled, they aren't really used to their full potential, and seem like they'd be better off cut out of things.

    I liked how, even though familiar beats are hit, the film isn't completely formulaic or predictable. Also, there's some really interesting (and cool) music selections. The cinematography is good too. This film though, is all about the characters, so the performances are where it's really at. Tahar Rahim is great as Malik, and he brings a quiet intenisty and intriguing enigmaticness to things. Niels Arestrup is strong as the brutal, intense Corsican leader, and supporting players like Adel Bencherif are good too.

    At roughly 155 minutes, and with a pretty deliberate pace, this film is not for the fidgety. There's violence yes, but this isn't an exploitation film, so it's not wall to wall with it, although it is very graphic and realistic when it comes up. I liked that thios film touched upon the dynamic of ethnic/race relations, and it's cool seeing the penal system of a foreign country, but I wanted more of the former, and am unsure as to how realistically ortrayed the latter is. Still though, this is all some very good stuff, even if the film is merely just really good instead of the masterpiece that some have heralded it to be.
  • 76Majikat
    July 29, 2011
    76Majikat
    A very believable, Gritty Prison Drama, sometimes slow moving (and I personally felt I lost a little of the information in the film because of that) but a compelling tale with realistic acting and surroundings etc.

    Possibly worth watching twice to make sure the whole story has... read more been digested, but certainly one of the best Prison Dramas ever.
  • fb634552688
    June 9, 2011
    fb634552688
    Interesting character study. It's ironic how prison made him a criminal, but I guess nowadays, that isn't too far from the truth. Great movie.
  • shawnewing92
    March 14, 2011
    shawnewing92
    The story was a bit slow for my taste, but I found it's realistic view on prison life quite interesting.
  • itsjustme2004
    January 12, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    One of the most epic foreign films since City of God. This film had me glued to the television so that I would not lose anything in translation. Filmed beautifully, and directed very well. The complexity of the characters, and plot development is masterful. If you appreciate grea... read moret cinema, you will appreciate this film.
  • TomBowler
    January 9, 2011
    TomBowler
    Compelling, powerful, beautiful. Full review later.
  • MrMarakai
    January 3, 2011
    MrMarakai
    Director Jacques Audiard's last criminal outing was "The Beat That My Heart Skipped", a remake of the 1978 film "Fingers", about a petty hood who has dreams of being a concert pianist. This time he tackles the story of a petty hood trying to survive a French correctional facility... read more.
    Sent down for six years for an unspecified crime, illiterate French-Arab teen Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is initiated into the prison's criminal underworld. A fast learner, he soon starts to plot his rapid ascendancy through the violent and brutal hierarchy of his fellow inmates to become a formidable player and slowly builds a criminal empire of his own.
    This is an unrelenting and savage look at the French penal system and the visciousness involved in just getting through each day. Hardly ever off screen, it boasts an excellent and charismatic lead performance from Tahar Rahim as the young inauspicious protaganist. He's entirely convincing in his tranformation and growth from nervous petty criminal to confident and brutal mastermind and is aided with fine support from Niels Arestrup as his menacing patriarchal boss. The problem I found with it though, was it's length. At well over 2 hours, the rigourousness is relentless and despite it magnificently capturing the grim surroundings of the prison, it utimately is confined - for most of the film - like it's characters and unable to offer anything new from it's concrete hell, that hasn't already been done before. I also struggled to see the point of Malik's prophetic gift. It gave no explanation for his sporadic prophetic visions and added very little to the story - despite it also assuming the title of the film. It could quite easily have been left out altogether. However, these are minor gripes and I probably wouldn't mention them if this film wasn't being hailed as a masterpiece. It's not, but it's still a film of real quality and packed full of tense, dangerous and claustraphobic moments.
    Despite feeling like I was doing a little time myself towards the end, this is still a very accomplished and ferocious crime film.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
April 21, 2010
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

A movie that stands with the best prison thrillers from any country; a film that vividly illustrates the connection between prison and the violent, radical form of Islam that keeps much of Europe on e... Full Review

David Germain
April 2, 2010
David Germain, Associated Press

Audiard has talked about the prospects of a sequel to A Prophet. With the foundation he has built here, it would be a welcome one. Full Review

Tom Long
March 26, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

The success of Malik is sheer American dream via France: Anyone can make it if they try hard enough. Make it at what, of course, is always the question. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
March 19, 2010
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Audiard never overplays the new experiences facing Malik, be they violent or touching. Yet his tender regard for our complicated hero shines through. Full Review

A.O. Scott
March 15, 2010
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

A really satisfying, meaty film. Full Review

Chris Vognar
March 12, 2010
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

A Prophet solidifies director Jacques Audiard's standing as a criminal mastermind whose work leaves genre classifications in the dust. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
March 12, 2010
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Although these aren't characters with whom filmgoers will have an instinctive rooting interest, Rahim and Arestrup imbue them with fascinating nuances and, in Rahim's case, surprising vulnerability. Full Review

Colin Covert
March 12, 2010
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

French director Jacques Audiard's grim, disturbing prison picture slices through gangster clichés to hit raw nerve. Full Review

Steven Rea
March 12, 2010
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Rahim, with only a few film and TV roles behind him, gives a performance of startling force and subtlety. Full Review

James Adams
March 5, 2010
James Adams, Globe and Mail

Tremendously watchable cinema. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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