A Prophet
Seen it?2009 | 155 min | Crime, Drama
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), it collected a shelf of major awards and audiences rate it highly (7.5 out of 10). Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans. If you loved Avengement or The Silence of the Lambs, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Unhurried and epic, at 2 hr 35 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: expect violence and drug use.
- It's long: 2 hr 35 min.
- It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Sentenced to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena is alone in the world and can neither read nor write. On his arrival at the prison, he seems younger and more brittle than the others detained there. At once he falls under the sway of a group of Corsicans who enforce their rule in the prison. As the 'missions' go by, he toughens himself and wins the confidence of the Corsican group.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 90 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
7.5 out of 10
- AwardsVery strong
Won 1 BAFTA: Best Film Not in the English Language. Won 1 Cannes award: Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix. Also nominated for 1 Oscar, 1 Golden Globe and 1 Independent Spirit Award. Plus 17 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$18 million worldwide on a $13 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 78K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Jacques Audiard
- Tahar RahimMalik El Djebena
- Niels ArestrupCésar Luciani
- Adel BencherifRyad
- Reda KatebJordi
- Hichem YacoubiReyeb
- Jean-Philippe RicciVettori
- Gilles CohenProf
- Pierre LecciaSampierro
- Antoine BaslerPilicci
- Foued NassahAntaro