Watch: A Prophet

Have a pretty killer movie to let you guys know I just saw.

From 2009,


A Prophet. Directed by Jacques Audiard.

The story follows 19 year old French-Arab Malik El Djebena who is beginning a six year prison sentence.He's been in the juvenile system throughout his life, but this is his first trip to the big house.  He is reluctantly taken in by the Corsican prison gang and is given the immediate task of killing a high profile muslim prisoner that is in transit to the prison. 

The movie follows his rise in the Corsican gang ranks, but also the internal struggle of never truly being accepted by the Corsicans.  The movie has some double-turns, that aren't necessarily to be considered "twists" just moreso developments in the story.

In the movie's final act there is a pretty tense and gritty scene that takes place outside the prison walls when Malik is given a day out from the prison.

I found this movie pretty good. The style is a lot different than what we come to traditionally think of prison/mafia dramas such as American Me or Bound by Honor.  I didn't feel it was over-stylized at all. In fact there was almost a lack of the feeling you get from a lot of mafioso dramas that they are trying to project a "cool" effect. This produced more of a "foreign prisons suck" feeling.  You never really got the "being in the prison gang does have it's advantages" feeling either. There was little give and take between Malik and César Luciani.(head of the Corsican gang) it was much more of a "I am letting you live because you do what I ask, don't forget that" feeling, and later in the movie it is even acknowledged by Malik. I have noticed that seems to be a big difference between American and foreign movies relating to the mob.  In American films there tends to be a need to partly romanticize the idea.  Sure, it usually turns bad at the end, but like drugs, "it was a hell of a ride while it lasted" where as most of the foreign flicks dealing with the mafia seem to be more about pain and despair and you never get a sense that the protagonist in the movie is having a good time. In prison Malik finds salvation in learning to read & write, from fellow inmate and eventual friend, Ryad.

I am definitely interested to check out netflix and see what else this director has in store for us.

I highly recommend A Prophet to everyone.