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A Prophet is the latest film from arguably the most important director in French cinema right now, Jacques Audiard (The Beat That My Heart Skipped). It's a prison movie with epic scope, and an epic 2h30m running time to match. Don't let that put you off though, as it's riveting from start to finish.
It begins with Malik, a 19 year-old petty criminal, being sent to prison for assaulting a policeman; moving up to the big time, as it were, after years in a juvenile offenders institute. He soon becomes acquainted with the Corsican gang which seems to control all aspects of prison life, therefore segregating him from his fellow Muslim inmates who see him as a traitor. The Corsicans' leader, César, offers him a deal: kill an enemy of theirs, in return for protection. Otherwise, they'll kill him.
From here we're launched headlong into a brutal, gripping depiction of life in a French prison – full of grim cells, menacing thugs and uncomfortable racial politics. The first half hour is brilliantly tense, as Malik is taught not just how to survive the system, but how to kill a man. The scene in which he learns how to conceal a razor blade in mouth is almost painful to watch. As he gains more experience of the gang's inner workings, Malik soon emerges as a real threat to their dominant regime, and the film, too, gradually changes into a complex crime saga.
The film's lead, Tahar Rahim, is nominated for the Rising Star award at this year's BAFTAs, and it's easy to see why. By any standards, he gives a great performance, shifting convincingly from fragile rookie to cold-blooded mobster. Considering it's his first starring role, it's an astonishing début. When he's on screen with Niels Arestrup (terrifying as César), being constantly goaded over his religion, it's like waiting for a bomb to explode.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much, despite its universal acclaim and award nominations. Crime dramas never really appeal to me; prison dramas even less so. But every time the prolonged criminal deals threaten to outstay their welcome (and they occasionally do), along comes a terrifically executed scene of shocking violence, or a bizarre nightmare sequence, or a surprising look into Malik's subconscious. While it does sag slightly towards the end, before coming to an uneasy conclusion that crime perhaps does pay after all, A Prophet remains a powerful, well-acted film which could well reinvigorate the previously tired prison genre.
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