A Prophet

This French movie tells the story about a criminal called Malik. He has to go to jail where he experiences the tensions between the various groups (Corsicans/Muslims). Very soon he gets mixed up in the politics of it all.

The movie reminded me a lot about Scarface. Not that there are many similairities with it (although this movie also contains a fair share of crime and violence), but this story is also about a nobody who slowly grows in the environment he ends up in. In this movie you feel like you are under the skin of Malik. You feel the effects of prison life on him (pay attention on the airport scene, where it is clear how much the prison system has had an effect on him). You are there when he has to struggle with some dilemmas. The length of the movie is 2 and half hours, but doesnt feel too long at all. It is a movie which i could immediately watch a second time. The last scene of the movie seems to be a tribute to a scene from the Godfather. You will have to watch it to see if you recognise it.

This is a fantastic take on the Prison movie, Refreshing, Shocking and above all very Entertaining.
The shows the rise to power of a nobody in the prison system.
As a previous reviewer mentioned its not like Scarface but does remind you of that film and also of Godfather Part 1.
The Story is well thought out and has unexpected Twist n Turns along the way.
The movie brushes shoulders with Violence and Compassion, the movie is 2 and a half hours long but this is needed as the characters are given time to be fleshed out. So by the end you know who you are rooting for and why.
The Acting from the Lead actor is Brilliant, but the best performance is by the guy who plays his Boss, he is 10 out of 10 Excellent.
Definitely one to watch. The other 2 French movies that I watched this year that impressed me were HIDDDEN and TELL NO ONE.

Once again French crime (cinema) proves that it can get in the ring with the best of them, producing another stunning epic rivalling Mesrine (2008/9), The Beat My Heart Skipped, 36 and La Haine.
Tahar Rahim sizzles as Malik, the 'prophet' of the title (due to his prophetic dreams of what may come) - an illiterate French Arab who goes to prison for an uspecified crime. It doesn't take long for him to fall in with Luciani and his Corsican mafiosa who dominate every aspect of prison life, and as he becomes ostracised by the fellow Muslim inmates Malik learns to develop his skills to survive in this dog-eat-dog environment. However, as Malik continues to win favour with those he helps and greases the right palms, he becomes something more than the twentysomething hired hand and as he grows intellectually so does his sense of menace.

Audiard has directed a stunning piece of cinema and delivers his most visceral scene yet, showing the fresh-faced Malik learning the first of his prison tricks - carrying a razor in his mouth, which is executed with unnerving brilliance. Definitely a film to watch and possibly the finest prison drama, if not crime drama, to come out of France for decades.

A Prophet is a film about an inmate in a French Prison. He soon becomes a target for a Brutal Mafia like Gang who use him to carry out a job and in return gains their trust. He then works his way into the gang whilst avoiding the other groups of inmates.
This is a really made film. At times a little slow but the tension and story really builds up and develops at a realistic pace. This is gritty realism at its best. At times its hard hitting and theres a some brutal action. The main downside is it can be quite heavy going and it is quite long. Its a bit like a mix of The Sopranos, Chopper, Gomorrah, La Haine, Scarface and Scum.

Another masterpiece fron the director behind the beat that my heart skipped.this is a dark gritty prison drama telling the story of Malik a convict in a brutal prison, as he slowly gets took under the wing of the French crime boss Caesar he starts to make his own criminal empire. This is a must have for all fans of Foreign crime films.