A Prophet (2009)

“Un prophète”.

Crime, Drama |

A Prophet is a French prison drama-crime film directed by Jacques Audiard with a screenplay by Audiard, with Thomas Bidegain, Abdel Raouf Dafri, and Nicolas Peufaillit, from a story by Dafri. The film stars Tahar Rahim in the title role as an imprisoned petty criminal of Algerian origins who rises in the inmate hierarchy, becoming an assassin and drug trafficker as he initiates himself into the Corsican and then Muslim subcultures.

Malik El Djebena, a 19-year-old French youth of Algerian descent, is sentenced to six years in prison for attacking police officers. Alone and illiterate upon his arrival, he falls under the sway of Corsican mobsters, led by César Luciani, who enforces a brutal rule.

The prison is divided between two main factions: the Corsicans and the Muslims. Malik keeps to himself. When Luciani forces him to be the unwilling assassin of Reyeb, a Muslim witness in a trial, Malik gains the protection of the Corsicans despite his Arab origin.

Malik serves as a low-level servant to the Corsicans, who treat him with disdain. All the while, he is haunted by visions of the murdered Reyeb.

When most of the Corsicans are transferred or released, Luciani is forced to give Malik more responsibility. Having secretly learned Corsican, Malik acts as Luciani’s eyes and ears in the prison. When Malik earns the privilege of day-long furloughs outside the prison, Luciani relies on him to conduct Luciani’s criminal business outside.

Director: Jacques Audiard

Writers: Thomas Bidegain (screenplay), Jacques Audiard (screenplay), Abdel Raouf Dafri (original screenplay), Nicolas Peufaillit (original screenplay)

Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem Yacoubi, Jean-Philippe Ricci, Gilles Cohen

►Cast:

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
Serge Onteniente	…	Le juge d’application des peines
Hervé Temime	…	Le procureur
Taha Lemaizi	…	Hassan
Mohamed Makhtoumi	…	Tarik
Karim Leklou	…	Musulman couloir
Farid Larbi	…	Musulman couloir
Doula Niang	…	Musulman couloir
Mamadou Minte	…	Latif
Guillaume Verdier	…	Michka
Mourad Frarema	…	Khalid
Zohra Benali	…	Mère Mohamed
Sabar Kabbouchi	…	Travailleur social
Eric Badoc	…	Travailleur social
François De Courcelle	…	Travailleur social
Nathanaël Maïni	…	Garde Sampierro
Charles Maestracci	…	Corse
Laurent Blanquet	…	Corse
Jean-Pierre Guinebert	…	Corse
Pascal Henault	…	Corse
Hakim Sid	…	Le chimique
Kamel Labroudi	…	Un auxi
Mustapha Benstiti	…	Caillera
Alain Raymond	…	Gardien fouille
Franck Xabrame	…	Maton cour d’honneur
Didier de Backer	…	Gardien fouille
Patrick Mochen	…	Gardien fouille
Gilles Bellomi	…	Gardien
Malaïc Mekeri	…	Belmont
Fadil Kadri	…	Policier enquête
David Dupays	…	Policier commissariat
Arsène Benziane	…	L’Ours
Kamel Ferrat	…	Chauffeur de Lattrache
Karim Traikia	…	Collègue Lattrache
Cindy Danel	…	Sophie
Abdelaziz Mahtou	…	Mohamed Gazil
Alexandre de Sèze	…	Chef du centre d’appels
Kamel Saadi	…	Arabe
Slim El Hedli	…	Arabe
Farid Elouardi	…	Arabe
Veronica Ghio	…	La blonde de Marbella
Christophe Aquillon	…	(as Chris Aquilon)
Sonia Hell	…	Une matonne
Salem Kali	…	Prisonnier rebelle
Laurent Mendy	…	Le basketteur
Franck Pech	…	Gardien de prison
Alaa Safi	…	Prisonnier rebelle

Sources: imdb & wikipedia