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| Movie Review: The Prophet (“Un Prophète”) Alternate Title: Survivor
Story: Young (19) Malik enters
a French prison an undefined slate. You could say he was feral and would
not be far from the truth. Raised by the State, with no family, he has
learned how to survive in the world by ducking his head. He cannot read
and has no notable skills but can speak French and Arabic. Prison changes
all of this. Director Jacques Audiard skillfully takes
his time depicting the transformation of Malik. The film was written
by Thomas Bidegain and Mr. Audiard
and was based on an idea by Abdel Raouf Dafri and an
original script by Mr. Dafri and Nicolas Peufaillit.
The film is in French, Arabic and Corsu, with English subtitles. Within days of entering prison, Malik is presented with an offer he
cannot refuse. Either he kill one of the inmates or he will be killed.
We watch as this innocent becomes wise to the ways of prison. He learns
to read, he learns to murder, to connive, to survive. You wind up rooting
for this young man because, like most other prison films, there are
all levels of 'bad.' Director Audiard shows the boredom of prison along with the sudden
bursts of violence. The cliques, the power plays, the corruption, the
graft and the payoffs are all fascinating stuff in the history of cinema. This 'coming of age' prison film is well worth your time. I only wish
it had been a little shorter. At 2 and a half hours I, at times, felt
as if I were in prison. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d2kHU58mXw Acting: Tahar Rahim as Malik El Djebena was nothing
short of sensational. Bravo. Niels Arestrup as kingpin
César Luciani was Godfather worthy, for sure. The entire supporting
cast was terrific including, Adel Bencherif (Ryad),
Reda Kateb (Jordi le Gitan), Hichem Yacoubi
(Reyeb), Jean-Philippe Ricci (Vettorri) and Slimane
Dazi (Lattrache).
Trivia: Tahar Rahim attended the University Paul Valery
of Montpellier where he studied drama. He is of Algerian descent and
speaks fluent English.
Predilection: I like to see all of the Oscar nominated
films if possible.
Critters: Deer that do not fare well on the road.
Food: Aforementioned deer, baguettes and prison food.
Sex Spectrum: Prostitutes can be brought into the
prison for visits.
Blatant Product Placement: Nothing
Opening Titles: A sequence showing young Malik entering
prison for his six year term.
Theater Audience: Fairly crowded for opening day.
The crowd was overwhelmingly male. By the way - yesterdsy was a snow
day in NYC which accounts for the movie crowd.
Weather: The seasons come and go in prison.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: There are several squirmy parts (prison
is rough) and the general sense of tension permeates the film.
Drift Factor: I looked at my watch often during the
second hour.
Predictability Level: I was hopeful as to the ending
as was correct.
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: It is France's entry to the Oscar race
this year (2009). It also won the Grand Prize at Cannes.
Big Screen or Rental: Rental would be fine.
Length: Overly long at 2 hours and 29 minutes.
LOBO HOWLS: 8
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