A Prophet (www.the-usher.com)

When 19 year-old Malik el Djebena (Rahim) is sentenced to six years in prison, he never expected to be chosen Corsican gang leader Cesar Luciani (Arstrup) to commit murder. Forced to kill Muslim prisoner Reyeb (Yacoubi), who is about to give evidence against the Corsicans, the murder gains him favour and places Malik into the inner circle of Luciani’s gang. Illiterate and hungry to learn, Malik starts to put himself into a position were influence and power could be his.

Prison dramas have been the stalwart of cinema since its inception but can ‘A Prophet’ bring anything new to the well-trodden genre?

The inner workings of a prison have supplied many a story for filmmakers to tell in over one hundred years of cinema. Stories of gangs or people of criminal influence running a crime syndicate from within the prison walls have entertained and shocked audiences and Jacques Audiard’s ‘Un prophète’ (A Prophet) does exactly that but this time the execution is superb.

This is the story of 19 year-old Malik, a young man of mixed French and North African heritage who is given a six year sentence and forced to see out his sentence at a high security prison. In there he attracts the attention of the ruling Corsican gang and is hand picked by their leader Cesar Luciani to get close to a Muslin informant and then murder him. With his own life threatened in return, Malik is forced to comply and take the informant’s life but brings him into the inner circle of the ruling gang. It is here were the story of Malik’s rise within the prison system is told and how a once illiterate teenage can put himself into a position were he can gain power and revenge. While this might be a tale that we have heard and seen many times before, it is Jacques Audiard’s execution that makes this movie stand out.

Watching ‘Un prophète’ (A Prophet), you actually see the character of Malik grow from the naïve, wide-eyed new prisoner to someone of real power and influence not just over the Corsican gang but also the growing Muslim population of inmates. It is this rise to power that makes ‘Un prophète’ (A Prophet) completely riveting. You see Malik physically and mentally change, growing as a character and transforming into a hardened criminal, with rehabilitation for the crime he committed in the first place falling away after been forced to commit such a terrible act. With out the performance of Tahar Rahim as Malik El Djebena, the film would be nothing.

Tahar Rahim performance draws you into the film. As the character copes with the madness and guilt that plagues his waking dreams, we see Rahim develop the character and show his growth from victim to man actually running the show. This is an exceptional creation of a character and one that will be the highlight for the genre for many years to come. His support is also good, with Niels Arestrup outstanding as prison leader Cesar Luciani, a haunting performance from Hichem Yacoubi as Malik’s victim Reyeb and Adel Bencherif as Ryad, Malik true friend on the inside and his right hand man on the outside when he is released.

‘Un prophète’ (A Prophet) is as compelling as a prison drama can get. While the violence may be a little too graphic for some, it is the story of Malik’s rise to power that will enthrall you and keep you riveted until the final scene. ‘Un prophète’ (A Prophet) is a truly great prison drama and one of the best of the genre by a very long way.

Deleted Scenes with Director's Commentary
A Prophet - Revealed (20 min featurette with cast and crew)
Screen Tests of Tahar Ramin Rehearsals
"Derrière les barreaux" (behind bars) from Antonin Peretjako (70 min documentary)
"Un Prophète à Chatenay" from Jean-Michel Correia (26 min documentary)

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2010