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 melodrama 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
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 edge.
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.
A movie that has more in common with Jean Genet than Frantz Fanon, but there's enough insights into white colonial domination of Arab peoples to make this a cut above the standard prison melodrama. Highly recommended.
That rare film that tries to do too much, yet carries the heavy load of its themes with ease. Audiard dreams big, and his movie is unquestionably a classic crime film, because it transcends all of the conventions of the genre.
Revela-se trágico justamente por refletir uma triste realidade: a de que, antes de funcionar como centro de reabilitação, o sistema penitenciário atua principalmente como uma excepcionalmente perigosa faculdade do crime.
Un intenso, brutal y formidable relato sobre el ascenso criminal dentro de la cárcel como forma de supervivencia. Excepcional labor protagónica del casi debutante Tahar Rahim. No suele abundar cine como éste; el crimen sería perdérselo.
Un prophète s'élève au même niveau que ces grands films auxquels il sera inévitablement comparé tout en parvenant à s'en dissocier pour imposer ses propres méthodes.
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.
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 culture, A Prophet is a rare masterpiece
of its genre that leaves an arresting impression.
No quotes approved yet for A Prophet (Un prophete). Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'A Prophet (Un prophete)'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
85%
78%
7%
Top Critic
