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Film: A Prophet
Release date: 7th June 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 149 mins
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi, Reda Kateb
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller/Action
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France/Italy
This release brought about the return of the celebrated Jacques Audiard to award-winning form. Following the success of 2005’s The Beat That Skipped My Heart, Audiard was again given the nod by BAFTA, this after recognition at Cannes. Delving into a genre that has been ever present in modern cinema, how has A Prophet emerged as such a recognised crime classic amongst its contemporaries?
The film spans the six-year prison sentence of 19-year-old degenerate Malik El Djebena. Brecourt is a notorious hellhole where inmates rely on their connections to protect them against their ever present violent way of life. Malik’s North African descent places him bang in the middle of an ethnically split prison run by Corsicans and heavily inhabited by Arabs. Despite his illiteracy and minimal prospects, he concentrates on his future release and is a loner within the prison walls.
After Malik is forced to do a favour for prison ‘fat cat’ Cesar, his prison education begins, and he is taken under the wing of the Corsicans sitting on top of the prison pile. The years pass as Malik climbs the institutional ladder under the wing of the ruthless Cesar; he deals in drugs, takes part in hostage exchanges, and even facilitates assassinations. Malik’s cooperation has changed to enthusiasm as he begins to develop the know how to transcend his status as a petty errand boy.
Using his newly found status, and with connections that stretch outside the prison walls, Malik sets out to go in to business for himself. He is not just working to leave the shadow of Cesar and his crew but to survive his sentence...
The most forceful device of Audiard’s film is the realism he installs from the get go. The fear and bursts of ultra-violence go hand in hand with the drab solitude and boredom of prison life. There is an ever present sense of the length of Malik’s sentence, as the hours and days pass we see him in his cell, enduring mindless jobs, bored in classes and alone in the yard. The contrast of action and daily grind makes for engrossingly uneasy watching as we feel Malik’s trepidation in such unpredictable surroundings.
Malik’s journey is in no way a typical rise in the crime world. From the moment we see him, he is the picture of an awkward teenage troublemaker; irritable, aggressive and irreconcilable. For him, this is not about moral discovery or redemption as genre character typing may dictate. He has no morality and he is not fighting for redemption, the only thing he cares about is finishing his time in one piece.
Such moral inclination is demonstrated in the film’s most effectively violent scenes, as Malik is forced into his first job for the Corsicans, a hit on potential rat Reyab. The blood spilling tussle is hard to watch but impossible to turn away from as Malik frightfully botches the planned hit - the realism of the film extends to its many layers and this sets an ominous tone for the two hours ahead. If visions of Reyab’s ghost are appealing to Malik’s guilt or integrity, he dismisses them with his typical nonchalance - he is doing what needs to be done.
Rahim Tahar’s hard-faced performance sees him emerge from this film as a face to watch but he’s not the only actor to make an impression. Niels Arestup plays the part of Cesar Luciani with terrifying effect. He is a chain smoking, vicious and erratic mob boss whose presence in the film is consistently menacing and never trustworthy. If classics such as Goodfellas showed off camaraderie between criminals, A Prophet focuses on a shifting of allegiances and self-preservation that is just as absorbing. Do not expect to see a father like mentor in Arestup’s character, he rules with a bulldoggish resolve and fear. The altercations between Cesar and Malik show how Audiard is able to shift tone to the greatest effect.
A lack of empathy set about by Malik does not derive from the pleasure of seeing him grow and succeed. He juggles with the loyalties of the Corsicans and the Arabs with a newly found cunning and under the influence of those who try to control him. His rise comments heavily on the influence of incarceration, starting as a boy with nothing to offer on the outside Malik is honed with the skills to succeed on the inside - his transformation shows the value (or danger) of a prison upbringing. Malik is a product of his environment.
The violence is harrowing and provides some of the most unforgettable images ever seen in prison drama. That said, A Prophet succeeds where so many have failed by not making this the sole focus of the picture. Audiard achieves a much more cerebral approach to the criminal world; a vision of prison being that is intensely believable. Oscar buzz and awards galore aside this is a film that deserves your attention. A true benchmark in a done-to-death genre. LW
Release date: 7th June 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 149 mins
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller/Action
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France/Italy
Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet carries with it an impressive list of credentials - an Academy Award Nomination, a BAFTA win, a Golden Globe Nomination, the Grand Prize of the Jury Award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and nine French Cesar Awards including Best Film, and that’s just the icing on the cake. With this level of acclaim, you’d be forgiven for carrying a certain weight of expectation.
Sentenced to six years for what is never made entirely clear (though violence toward the law is hinted at an early stage), 19-year-old Malik El Djebena (an excellent Tahar Rahim) finds himself thrust into one of France’s toughest prisons. With no friends and no contacts, and not exactly physically imposing, Malik sticks out like a sore thumb, and subsequently struggles to adapt to his new life inside.
Spotting an opportunity to use him to his own gain, Veteran inmate and Mafia kingpin Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup) offers to protect Malik in return for favours. Soon enough, Cesar has him doing all his dirty work, including killing a fellow inmate in one of the films more intense set pieces.
For a large amount of his time Malik goes about his business while completely under the thumb of his Mafia boss, who is so powerful, he essentially has the prison staff in his pocket.
Feeling deflated and used, Malik soon learns to read and write, and slowly learns the tricks of the trade, and becomes more influential as a result. With twelve-hour day releases, he is able to run errands on the outside, while simultaneously building his own drugs racket.
He soon develops more respect from his fellow inmates, much to the annoyance of his mafia boss, who wants him to have no ties with anyone but himself. As events unfold, it’s not long before he refuses to jump through Cesar’s hoops, plotting his own ascendancy through the violent and brutal hierarchy of his fellow inmates to become a formidable player in his own right…
Director Jacques Audiard creates a gritty and realistic prison environment. He is aided by some terrific performances, most notably from Tahar Rahim, who is the driving force throughout. There is seldom a scene without him. What makes us root for Malik is the boyish naivety he possesses. Even when he’s slicing a man’s throat or beating fellow inmates with heavy objects, you always get the sense that Malik is doing it because he has to. He is putty in the Mafia’s hand. He’s cornered and if he doesn’t do as he’s told, he’s a dead man. Our sympathy for him is prevalent throughout. We are left in no doubt that he is at the lower end of the pecking order amongst his mafia friends, being ordered around like an unwelcome guest, making coffee and delivering bread.
Quite touchingly, upon his day releases, we witness his delight at being on a plane for the first time, gawping in awe at the views above, and enjoying a paddle on the beach - later caressing the sand from his shoes when back in his cell at night. This is a man who clearly hasn’t had much of the happier things in life.
A Prophet, however, is not without its faults. The intricacies of the plot are not always easy to follow. Who’s doing what and why is a question you may find yourself asking more than once, and repeat viewings are perhaps necessary to fully understand its double dealings.
The two-and-a-half-hour running time is, at times, felt. The first 45 minutes fly by, but thereafter, the momentum occasionally drops, and your focus may wander. This is due in no small part to prison life being swapped at frequent intervals for the criminal activities on the outside, as Malik is put to work outside his prison walls, which is simply not as interesting or compelling.
A supernatural element, which takes place throughout, seems at odds with the rest of the film, as Malik’s first murder victim appears regularly in his cell, perhaps the ghostly image of Malik’s conscience, or is Malik simply going insane? We never really find out.
There are echoes of other prison/crime dramas throughout, with a number of scenes reminding you of greats such as The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption, whilst Rahim resembles a young De Niro, especially when cradling his brother’s baby.
A prophet delivers an expansive and, at times, riveting portrayal of French prison life and criminal activity, but ultimately suffers from a convoluted and familiar plot, and some long lapses in momentum. Thank goodness for Tahar Rahim, the films major saving grace, who delivers one of the best performances of recent times. It is he who is most deserving of the acclaim. GY
Film: A Prophet
Jacques Audard directs a prison based epic, where we see an inmate coming of age. From a boy to a man, but are you capable of such growth; in a cesspit that defines your existence? I doubt it. Just watch and learn where courage, faith and strength arrive from. From places where you would never expect them to come from...
Follow Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) through his hard knock life, as a first time prisoner serving six years in a tough French prison. Watch him climb the ladder in a Corsican gang under the tutelage of Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup), the big boss inside the prison. We can see this boy grow to a man in an amazing and well thought out journey. Dealing with Cesar’s retribution for his mistakes must make him smart and quick. Or does he succumb to murderous intent?
Racial tensions ready to explode at any time within the prison, Malik manages to play both sides. How does he survive in such a precarious position? Arabs and Corsicans locked in a deadly duel of power within the prisons high walls, but it is contacts on the outside who are worth their weight in gold.
Can Malik come through his six year stretch a better man? More than just the young thug that he originated from? Be advised this is not an easy journey with gritty realism, murder, drug dealing and gangland politics, but no-one said this was going to be a cakewalk.
When Malik first enters the prison as a young thug, sent down for six years for assaulting a police officer, he is dazed, bewildered and struggles to cope. You are thus treated to an excellent montage of scenes that are directed at outlining a man’s struggle in this land bound hell. The story is presented to you here as a simple struggle to survive. This is underlined by a scene where Malik is beaten and robbed for his sports shoes in the prison yard. He does, however, show his mettle by seeking retribution from his attackers, but although his determination is there, he is ultimately alone, and this is demonstrated by another beating dished out to him for his impertinence.
Cesar Luciana (one of the bosses for the Corsican mob) is introduced quite effectively into the picture by scenes that display his power and control within the prison. You are left with no doubt that he has the guards under his influence, and he can essentially walk around as a free man within those high walls.
As our introduction unfolds, we see Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi) being transferred into the prison. This is a character that you instantly do not like. Firstly the viewer can see that his presence alone is an issue for Cesar, whom we are infatuated with at this point, but, secondly, we see him attempt to solicit felatio from Malik in the showers in return for some hashish. This is just nasty, but prison life all the same. However – it is here that things start to get a little interesting, as Cesar uses his power and influence within the prison to manipulate Malik into murdering Reyeb.
With such utter power and absolutely no remorse, Malik is driven down the road of murder in a vehicle, driven by Cesar that has no brakes. The viewer watches Malik go through great mental anguish, as one of Cesar’s henchmen trains him how to effectively murder Reyeb using a razor blade (which is to be hidden in the mouth, and used to slash his objectives Jugular vein). An interesting technique indeed! And you are treated to Reyeb’s gory ending before Malik, objective achieved, ingratiates himself into the Corsican mob. You must be made aware that at this point the movie continues into darker and more in depth dealings with the gangsters, whereas other, lesser gangster movies would have made that the plotline alone. You know you are in for a treat when you watch this flick.
Nevertheless, although Reyeb is now dead, he continues to play a recurring theme throughout the movie, as someone who is always in Malik’s subconscious. So, even when alone in his cell, Malik is never left unaccompanied. Reyeb seems to feature as his conscious and act as his sidekick – offering friendship and meaningful assistance when the lonely nights and hard cold walls surround him.
As Malik progresses through his incarceration, he befriends Riyad (Adel Bencherif). Riyad helps him educate himself to read and write. Once Riyad is released things get better for Malik, as he now has a contact and friend on the outside that will help him build his empire. Although Riyad is an Arab (and a Muslim), they find that they get on well. This is unlike how the other Arabs and Muslims treat Malik inside the prison. They hate him as a Corsican. But the Corsicans see him as an Arab, so where does he go? He goes his own way, and plays each group off against each other, all the while padding his own nest. Eventually, Malik learns how to speak Corsican (as well as French and Arabic, which he does from day one), and after revealing this to Cesar, bolsters his position in the gang. Cesar promotes him to his “eyes and ears” within the gang, and arranges day release from prison. This is so he can send him on various missions.
Challenge and reward awaits Malik, as he continues to build his contacts and grow his business. His first day outside the prison walls see him earn 5000 euros and get hold of 25 kilos of hashish to peddle. Excellent work indeed if you can get it. The audience joins Malik in these highs, to include watching him take his first air flight, through to the lows as we watch him escape a certain death at the end of a hoodlum’s pistol via some prophetic visions. This is clearly what the movie is about. This man seems to truly have Mohammed, Allah and all the virgins on his side. Suffice to say, the story is action-packed and always keeps the viewer interested to see what happens next, in a true rollercoaster ride of emotion and tension.
At first pushed into a lifestyle where he had little choice, but eventually taking the bull by the horns and coming out on top. An excellent; realistic and grimy portrayal of a man coming of age and taking care of his business the only way he knows how. With guts, determination, a steely focus and with a little bit of an angel’s fortune as prophetic visions and lady luck herself seem to be on his side.
As a viewer you are always on Malik’s side, with much emotional attachment to his character. Find yourself savouring the sand, which was smuggled in from the beach in his shoe, feel it running through your fingers whilst you are sat alongside him in a pokey, dirty French prison cell.
Atmospheric with excellent cinematography, A Prophet will have you on the edge of your seat and leave you shell shocked at times. Is he truly untouchable with the fate and destiny of a bona-fide prophet? You will have to watch and see!
Fan: Madfred
Films nominated in the Foreign Language Film category at this year’s Oscars (the 82nd Academy Awards) are:
• “Ajami” - Israel
• “The Milk Of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada)” - Peru
• “A Prophet (Un Prophète)” - France
• “The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)” - Argentina
• “The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)” - Germany
Another foreign-language film, Inglourious Basterds, has a number of nominations, including Quentin Tarantino picking up a nod in the Directing category.
The winners will be announced on 5th March 2010.
