A Prophet (2010)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Really Surprised!

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Acting/Cast: PR: Elite - 90 - Man oh man Tahar Rahim is superb in this film. He doesn't miss a beat and his performance is one to behold as he betrays an array of emotions and does so in convincing fashion. Niels Arestrup is also something to marvel as he plays his role to an absolute tee. The supporting cast is superb and there are no real weak spots here outside of some very subtle overacting in spots.Directing/Production: PR: Strong - 85 - While a bit lengthy at 2hrs and 35mins, it all serves a purpose. The movie has a genuine depressing feel to it, which is exactly what it wants the viewer to feel and it succeeds. There are some spots that I felt were a bit odd, but overall I enjoyed the film and thought it had a great pace. Probably undervalued is the music throughout the film, which I was a big fan of.Story: PR: Elite - 90 - There is a lot to process in this story and the depth of it is where the greatness lies. I think you have to put it up there with some of the classic prison themed films out there as it has pretty much everything you would want for that genre. Entertainment Value: PR: Strong - 85 - You have to be able to get past the subtitles if you don't speak the languages throughout the film, but to me it doesn't take anything away from the product. From the time it fades in up until the credits roll it keeps your attention and has a great climax. I strongly recommend and believe most will enjoy.Power Rating: 87.5

I have never seen a prison movie which is so close to the reality of the level of real violence in a prison since 'American Me'-1992(Edward James Olmos.The way the protagonist is sent to prison for a low-level offence and is in reality a nobody, and becomes one of the top-dogs running with the Corsican and Arab Mafia, is a believable story.The brilliant acting by Tahir Rahim in the lead role launched his career in the US and he seems to have stalled on any decent roles since 'The Eagle'-2011 but it would be good to see him in a lead role soon.The film itself is riveting and the way it draws you into Malik's world with twists and turns, you never know what's coming next until it hits you in the face! Brilliantly made and a must see.

A Prophet is a French gangster film set in a prison divided largely by Corsicans and Arabs in a fight for power. Director Jacques Audiard gives a gritty and authentic look at prison life and that is full of racism and crime. The film does a good job on putting some original touches on a familiar story, making it a solid French film to see.Malik (Tahar Rahim) is a nineteen year old who was just sentenced for six years in prison for presumably attacking cops, which he will be the first to deny. He cannot read and barely can write but can speak both French and Arabic. He comes to prison scared and timid but he does not leave that way.Out of the blue he gets bribed with a cigarette to meet up in the yard with a man named Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup). Cesar Leds the Corsican gang and acts as the Don Corleone inside the prison. Because of his Arab ethnicity, people assume he is a practicing Muslim, even though he is not. But that is precisely why he is sought after by Cesar and the Corsicans, a way to infiltrate the other Arabs.This effectively means he is claimed by the Corsicans as part of their society. Without choice, Malik is told that he needs to kill a Muslim inmate and if he does not, he will be killed. Naturally, Malik is reluctant and had a few failed attempts to get out of it but Cesar and his men make it very clear that they run the place.The next few scenes are incredibly intense as he is instructed as to how to kill the Muslim. They show him exactly how to strike him and even give him a razor blade to do it. He must hold the razor secretly in his mouth and wait for the right time to strike the victim directly across his throat. Horrific as those scenes may be, they ended up being the best in the entire film.Over a year later he is still doing hacks for Cesar. It is clear that is has started to transform into a new person. The transformation is easy to see physically; as he gains some weight, his hair is longer and he even grows a mustache. But he also grows as a person; he learns how to read, speaks Corsican and is fearless.After serving three of his six years, Cesar decides it is time for Malik to have a leave day. Which is a day where Malik is able to leave prison from 7am and stay out until 7pm. Cesar is powerful enough to pass the paperwork through the prison with priority and bypass the judge. The leave day is not for leisure however, Cesar has business for Malik to do on the outside for him.What Malik does with his 12 hours of prison leave is not all just for Cesar though. He ends up scoring some drugs and makes plans with Ryad (a friend he met in prison) for selling it. He wisely does not tell Cesar this, as Cesar made it very clear that prison leave should only be for his business only. It is at this point that we truly see Malik creating his own independence and start to slowly drift away from the Corsicans. Cesar sees it too.A Prophet is somewhat of a lengthy film, coming in at 155 minutes. There are parts that definitely drag on a bit, mostly in the middle act. But the beginning sucks you in and there is enough going on to get you through the middle until you come to the excellent conclusion. The film itself seemed is well constructed and carefully executed. Therefore, I was not surprised to find out that Jacques Audiard hired former convicts to his crew in order to get the real prison experience.Audiard's work did not go unnoticed. This film was nominated for an Oscar and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film. It won the Grand Prize of the Jury at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and swept all of the major categories (9 in total) at the Cesar Awards, which is the French equivalent of the Academy Awards.All said and done, A Prophet is a compelling coming of age story of a man that came from the outside world with very little and over time prison taught him how to not only read and write but the politics and economics of gangster life. It is an epic crime saga that provides a great story and amazing acting. Just be ready to devote some time for it, the 2 and a half hour runtime does drag a little bit in the middle.

I mean, I guess this is a better film than I'm giving it credit for. Also, it's not American, so I can't fault it for following every other film of its ilk here. Still, the plot and characters never really rise above being sort of archetypes, and the lead character, although decently played by Tahar Rahim, just isn't very interesting. His arc isn't terribly unrealistic, but it also doesn't go places we haven't seen before, and taken as it is, not terribly effective. However, there are some good things in the film, and despite the weak script, the directing really does do its best to make this rise up. Yeah. not very recommended on my part.