A Prophet

Composite Score: 87.33

Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem Yacoubi, Jean-Philippe Ricci, Pierre Leccia, Leïla Bekhti, and Slimane Dazi

Director: Jacques Audiard

Writers: Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard, Abdel Raouf Dafri, and Nicolas Peufaillit

Genres: Crime, Drama

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug material

Box Office: $17.87 million worldwide

My take on Watching This Film:

                A Prophet is Jacques Audiard’s film about a young man of Algerian descent imprisoned in France who rises through the ranks of the prison hierarchy by tying himself to members of the Corsican mob and the Maghrebi crime syndicate. The film stars Tahar Rahim in the lead as Malik El Djebena, a small-time thief who uses his imprisonment as a means to further his own prospects once he reaches the end of his sentence. Rahim is joined by Niels Arestrup as César Luciani, the aging head of the Corsicans in prison, Adel Bencherif as Malik’s friend and eventual criminal associate Ryad, Reda Kateb as Jordi Le Gitan, a small-time drug dealer who helps Malik launch his own enterprise, and Hichem Yacoubi as Reyeb, the snitch whose murder serves as Malik’s entrance to the mob’s protection. It’s a powerful and brilliantly acted film that examines morality, greed, power, race, and loyalty in a way that only the best gangster movies can. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, though it lost to The Secret in Their Eyes. Both Rahim and Arestrup form the heart of the film, and without their excellent performances in their respective roles, I think the film falls apart as an overtly violent and oddly racially charged gangster flick. Audiard’s more recent faux pas about the Spanish language certainly calls into question his views on the underprivileged and minority groups in general, and watching A Prophet after his statements did leave an odd taste in my mouth at points. I was left wondering whether he chose certain subplots, characters, traits, and themes because of some of his own prejudices or if the film’s call for empathy is genuine. Either way, the film is helped greatly by its lead and his mentor, as their portrayal of mentor and mentee makes for a profound look at the impact of crime, violence, and prejudice on any relationship, no matter how genuine. It really is a strong gangster film, worthy of mention alongside the likes of its inspirations – The Godfather and Goodfellas – but the taint of Audiard’s personal views and some excessive moments that felt gratuitous, but not in a stylistic way, don’t let it rise quite to those heights. At the same time, A Prophet is undeniably still excellent even if it’s not quite on the level of the cream of the crop, giving us stellar turns from both Rahim and Arestrup on its way to a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. Don’t let Audiard’s involvement dissuade you, and if you are someone who can separate art from artist easily, I’m sure this’ll be a film that you love. Even if you can’t I think it’s a strong film in its own right that is not inherently problematic unless something comes out about the director doing certain things because of his prejudice. Currently, you can rent this film on most streaming platforms if you’d like to watch it for yourself.