A Prophet (2009)

A young Arab man is sent to a French prison where he becomes a mafia kingpin.

Director:

Jacques Audiard

Writers:

Thomas Bidegain (screenplay), Jacques Audiard (screenplay)

Stars:

Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 47 wins & 45 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tahar Rahim	...	Malik El Djebena
Niels Arestrup	...	César Luciani
Adel Bencherif	...	Ryad
Reda Kateb	...	Jordi
Hichem Yacoubi	...	Reyeb
Jean-Philippe Ricci	...	Vettori
Gilles Cohen	...	Prof
Pierre Leccia	...	Sampierro
Antoine Basler	...	Pilicci
Foued Nassah	...	Antaro
Jean-Emmanuel Pagni	...	Santi
Frédéric Graziani	...	Chef de détention
Leïla Bekhti	...	Djamila
Rabah Loucif	...	L'avocat de Malik
Slimane Dazi	...	Lattrache

Storyline

Nineteen year-old Franco-Arab Malik El Djebena is just starting his six year prison sentence in Brécourt. Although he has spent the better part of his life in juvenile detention, this stint is his first in an adult prison. Beyond the division of Corsicans and Muslims in the prison (the Corsicans who with their guard connections rule what happens in the prison), he has no known friends or enemies inside. He is just hoping to serve his time in peace and without incident, despite having no prospects once he's out of jail since he's illiterate and has no support outside of the prison. Due to logistics, the head of Corsican inmates, a sadistic mafioso named César Luciani, co-opts Malik as part of the Corsicans' activities, not only regarding what happens inside the prison, but also continued criminal activities outside. The innocent Malik has no idea what to do but cooperate. This move does not sit well with the other Corsicans, who only see Malik as a dirty Arab, and the Muslims who now ...

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | prison | corsican | muslim | mafia | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, nudity, language and drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook page Official site [Canada] (English)

Country:

France Italy

Language:

Arabic French Corsican

Release Date:

26 March 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Prophet

Filming Locations:

Avenue Montaigne, Paris 8, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

€12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£312,237 (UK) (22 January 2010)

Gross:

$2,084,637 (USA) (25 June 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Why Not Productions, Chic Films, Page 114

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

France's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Award at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Prisoner: Take these handcuffs off!

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Cop Out/The Crazies/A Prophet (2010)

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Soundtracks

Corner of My Room
Written by Turner Cody
Performed by Turner Cody

User Reviews

masterpiece

At times hard to watch but in the end you come out with the feeling of having watched a masterpiece.

Perfect acting, scenario, directing, cinematography & sound...

This is definitely not a Hollywood production, but the best of what french cinema can be.

Audiard is a great director, having previously made "Read my lips" which i also recommend.

The main actor Tahar Rahim is a revelation, keep an eye on him in the future.

Niels Arestrup is also quite good in his role as a corsican crime boss