A Prophet

Dir. Jacques Audiard

Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem Yacoubi
France, 2009, 150 mins.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, A Prophet takes audiences into the little-known world of French jailhouses and at the center, a coming-of-age man named Malik (played extraordinarily by newcomer Tahar Rahim).

When Malik, a French-Arab, is recruited by a powerful Corsican inmate (played by Niels Arestrup) to kill a Muslim inmate, Malik does so, but not without great moral and physical difficulty. Afterwards, he is taken under the Corsican’s wing and quietly and astutely makes his way up the ranks of inmates. As time passes, Malik finds himself at the top, educating himself, and turning the tables on his teacher to claim his piece of the Paris underworld.

Director Jacques Audiard’s drama-thriller does not slow down the minute the screen opens on Malik’s young, unknowing face. The thrill for the audience is that you are not sure whether you should be cheering for or condemning Malik, who is after all a criminal. Rahim’s performance is intense, multi-layered, emotional and impressive, as he appears in practically every shot. A Prophet is brilliant and powerful and highly recommended.