Movie No. 94 (2013): A PROPHET
A Prophet (2009)
Director: Jacques Audiard
Cast: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup
In French, with English subtitles
Malik, a 19-year old petty criminal, is taken in a prison facilities to serve a six-year sentence for violently attacking a police officer. Tahar Rahim, the newcomer who plays Malik, is believable as an afraid sheep that is thrown into a lions den. But Malik's meekness will be threatened when the leader of a mobster, who has the guards in his pocket, becomes interested in him and bullies him to do a job for the gang in exchange of the gang's protection. This is his rite of passage to the darker world of criminality while inside prison.
Director: Jacques Audiard
Cast: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup
In French, with English subtitles
Malik, a 19-year old petty criminal, is taken in a prison facilities to serve a six-year sentence for violently attacking a police officer. Tahar Rahim, the newcomer who plays Malik, is believable as an afraid sheep that is thrown into a lions den. But Malik's meekness will be threatened when the leader of a mobster, who has the guards in his pocket, becomes interested in him and bullies him to do a job for the gang in exchange of the gang's protection. This is his rite of passage to the darker world of criminality while inside prison.
The film succeeds in being a character study and a thriller at the same time, which is a rare combination.
The film was nominated as Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 at the Academy Awards. That same year, it won Best Film (Not in the English Language) and, in 2009, the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival.
The film was nominated as Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 at the Academy Awards. That same year, it won Best Film (Not in the English Language) and, in 2009, the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: April 20, 2013
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