| A Prophet | |
 Ambitious, exciting, intense and gripping: Jacques Audiard's vivid film about a young French Arab imprisoned for an unknown crime is a prison drama unlike any other. Yes it's a violent gang film, but it's also a story of race, religion and identity generally.When Malik El Djebena, a drifter of unknown backgound, is arrested and sent to prison we know very little about him. He is a French Arab, and appears to be homeless. When asked his reiligion, he has no answer and is thus thrown in the French prison (as opposed to the separate wing for Islamic inmates) and quickly becomes a pariah. Things go from bad to worse when he has a baptism of fire into the Corsican gang that controls the prison, and is involved in an incident that will haunt him forever. Flicking between the brutal gang life faced by Djebena, who of course can never truly become one of the Corsicans because of his heritage, and his schizophrenic internal life writer/director Jacques Audiard (creator of the superb Beat That My Heart Skipped) sends us on a rollercoaster ride of violence, hatred, hope and redemption. It takes in so many ideas and themes that it is at times giddying in its intensity. One thing helps in this, however, and that is the astounding skill displayed in the cinematography. A meticulous sense of place is carefully conveyed in every scene, with all prison scenes orchestrated to have a wall or obstruction closely in view at any given time, with the light constantly dull and restricted, and with an astounding attention to detail that makes every room in the prison feel the way it should for an inmate, Audiard and cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine (who he also worked with on The Beat That My Heart Skipped) place the viewer into this bizarre and complex world in the most visceral and immediate way possible. It isn't just behind the camera that skill is on show, however, all of the  central performances are outstanding. Tahar Rahim (who has done little beforehand) simmers with a quiet intensity that only occasionally boils over into the borderline insane (i.e. prophetic) genius of Djebena. That he retains such control in a role that, it has been cautiously suggested, has intimations of certain Islamic prophets about him, is even more impressive. Meanwhile Niels Arestrup plays the Corsican mob boss with the pitch perfect balance of bully and affable charmer.Up against The White Ribbon for the best foreign film Golden Globe, A Prophet was always going to struggle. However I'd argue that, especially for mainstream audiences, this represents a much more exciting and enduring filmic experience, and one in which the artistic achievements, though occasionally over-layered and conflicting, and much more numerous and intriguing. This is a superb film which is all the more praiseworthy for being as exciting and enjoyable as it is artistic and intelligent. Rating: ***** Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi, Jean-Philippe Ricci, Gilles Cohen Director: Jacques Audiard Run time: 155 mins Certificate: UK 18 | US R Release date: 5th January 2010 Review by Michael Edwards Films like this are hard to come by, but for more gangster action we suggest the Mesrine films. For more intense, atmospheric drama, check out The Road. |
