A Prophet

A Prophet is a French crime thriller. Directed by Jacques Audiard the film is set almost totally in a French prison. The story is one about using brain rather than brawn. The central character drags himself up from petty criminal to underworld leader through hard work and dedication.

The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews and it seems audiences liked the gritty realism. Criminals and prisoners are portrayed as they really are without any of the sentimentality or romance of films like the Godfather. The world of the prison is black and white, kill or be killed and your choices are to either toughen up or go under.

The anti hero of the film Malik (Tahar Rahim) is a young illiterate Arab criminal who finds himself caught up in the mafia like gangland inside prison. He is forced to murder a fellow inmate to gain a place in the gang and eventually become a lieutenant who is sent out on criminal missions by the leader. Malik soon decides he can better himself; he learns to read and write and begins to start his own secret network. As his power grows Malik is no longer content to be a follower.

Cinema release 2009

Certificate 18

Available on DVD and Blue Ray