"Un prophete", released in the United Kingdom only this passed week, is an epic crime drama told about a young Arab sent to prison who works, fights and schemes his way to the top of the pecking order in a French prison. Expertly filmed by Jacques Audiard (The Beat That My Heart Skipped), it hallmarks a return to form for contemporary French cinema, headed by a director who has carved himself quite the career, with this being his magnum opus to date.
"Mesrine", a French gangster film released in 2009, was a stylised tale of a mans descent into the criminal underworld, but lacked a certain gravitas when needed to push itself into iconic status. Where "Mesrine" failed, "Un Prophete" has excelled. The cinematography is a gritty affair, told in faded greys and blues managing to highlight the drab and claustrophobic nature of incarceration. Jacques Audiard knows how to captivate his audience, from the opening sequence of our protagonist, Malik El Djebena, being taken to jail, peering out onto the world from behind the police vans bars, to feeling surrounded by the prisons inmates, he makes you feel as trapped as the one we are watching. The notable lack of primary colours, while perhaps unoriginal, is pivotal in hammering home the violence and its impact when it does start. Thankfully, there aren't ridiculously over the top shootouts as there were in "Mesrine", which manages to maintain a sense of realism, a sense of believability which in a film such as this the audience desperately needs to feel.
"Un prophete", however, is decidedly non-"Hollywood" and will have many not used to "European" cinema claiming it to be a dull, overly-long affair, yet it is because of its more languid tendencies, that it resonates more. None of the events in nor outside the prison would matter if Audiard did not develop the characters he has on screen sufficiently enough for us to connect with any of them on any emotional level. In "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" Romain Duris' performance carries what is a good yet occasionally uneven film, so it comes as no surprise that the leading men in "Un Prophete" powerfully command the screen with their presences leaving the viewer in no doubt that Audiard has a gift as a director for bringing out an actors' full talent. Tahar Rahim (Malik El Djebena) and Niels Arestrup (Cesar Luciani) play their leading roles perfectly, both carrying off the naiveté and hauteur respectively required for their ying and yang roles.
There are several themes running throughout "Un Prophete" the most obvious being a subtle social commentary on multiracial interaction in France. There is a keen sense of the director commenting on the strained relationships between the Caucasian French and their Arabic cohabitants, deliberately remarking on the way the Arabic population are deliberately looked down upon as inferior beings. This is brought up on numerous occasions with the Corsicans open distaste for the Arabic inmates but Audiard shows their racial prejudice to be their downfall as the population swells and their faith becomes a binding force, perhaps in itself a call to arms for French politicians to address what is a time bomb in their own country. Another theme is a keen sense of old replacing the new it terms of crime syndicate circles. Luciani is the Godfather of the Corsicans, though is never called as such. His position and means of dictation hallmark Pacino's "Godfather", to a time of crime which in a contemporary setting seems outdated. This point is again made when Malik is asked to be the Godfather of his friend Reyeb's child, yet the terminology is meant in its religious sense as opposed to the mafia one.
"Un Prophete" is a stunningly good film full of crisp, composed, cinematography that moves at a good rate, developing and fleshing out characters while being able to keep the story flowing. Audiard has his audience engrossed from the opening sequence and never lets go, from Malik's "induction" into the Corsican camp through to the protagonist sense of bewilderment and awe on his first flight and visit to a beach, that is almost childlike in its innocence. Unfortunately, "Un Prophete" while making all the right critical noises will never have the same impact on the cinematic masses that films such as "Avatar" are having and is somewhat disheartening, despite its Cannes "Grand Prize de Jury". Purchasing a ticket for the screening I was "warned" the film was subtitled to which I replied "do you have to warn us that it's not in 3D as well?", which may have been a jokingly snide quip but is a sad indictment of the times. Nevertheless, for those that get the opportunity to view this film you will not be disappointing as "Un Prophete" is a powerful production carrying some stellar performances from both cast and director. It is an engrossing crime drama that manages to be both brutal and shocking yet humane and heart warming that will convert even the most ardent disbeliever.
"Mesrine", a French gangster film released in 2009, was a stylised tale of a mans descent into the criminal underworld, but lacked a certain gravitas when needed to push itself into iconic status. Where "Mesrine" failed, "Un Prophete" has excelled. The cinematography is a gritty affair, told in faded greys and blues managing to highlight the drab and claustrophobic nature of incarceration. Jacques Audiard knows how to captivate his audience, from the opening sequence of our protagonist, Malik El Djebena, being taken to jail, peering out onto the world from behind the police vans bars, to feeling surrounded by the prisons inmates, he makes you feel as trapped as the one we are watching. The notable lack of primary colours, while perhaps unoriginal, is pivotal in hammering home the violence and its impact when it does start. Thankfully, there aren't ridiculously over the top shootouts as there were in "Mesrine", which manages to maintain a sense of realism, a sense of believability which in a film such as this the audience desperately needs to feel.
"Un prophete", however, is decidedly non-"Hollywood" and will have many not used to "European" cinema claiming it to be a dull, overly-long affair, yet it is because of its more languid tendencies, that it resonates more. None of the events in nor outside the prison would matter if Audiard did not develop the characters he has on screen sufficiently enough for us to connect with any of them on any emotional level. In "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" Romain Duris' performance carries what is a good yet occasionally uneven film, so it comes as no surprise that the leading men in "Un Prophete" powerfully command the screen with their presences leaving the viewer in no doubt that Audiard has a gift as a director for bringing out an actors' full talent. Tahar Rahim (Malik El Djebena) and Niels Arestrup (Cesar Luciani) play their leading roles perfectly, both carrying off the naiveté and hauteur respectively required for their ying and yang roles.
There are several themes running throughout "Un Prophete" the most obvious being a subtle social commentary on multiracial interaction in France. There is a keen sense of the director commenting on the strained relationships between the Caucasian French and their Arabic cohabitants, deliberately remarking on the way the Arabic population are deliberately looked down upon as inferior beings. This is brought up on numerous occasions with the Corsicans open distaste for the Arabic inmates but Audiard shows their racial prejudice to be their downfall as the population swells and their faith becomes a binding force, perhaps in itself a call to arms for French politicians to address what is a time bomb in their own country. Another theme is a keen sense of old replacing the new it terms of crime syndicate circles. Luciani is the Godfather of the Corsicans, though is never called as such. His position and means of dictation hallmark Pacino's "Godfather", to a time of crime which in a contemporary setting seems outdated. This point is again made when Malik is asked to be the Godfather of his friend Reyeb's child, yet the terminology is meant in its religious sense as opposed to the mafia one.
"Un Prophete" is a stunningly good film full of crisp, composed, cinematography that moves at a good rate, developing and fleshing out characters while being able to keep the story flowing. Audiard has his audience engrossed from the opening sequence and never lets go, from Malik's "induction" into the Corsican camp through to the protagonist sense of bewilderment and awe on his first flight and visit to a beach, that is almost childlike in its innocence. Unfortunately, "Un Prophete" while making all the right critical noises will never have the same impact on the cinematic masses that films such as "Avatar" are having and is somewhat disheartening, despite its Cannes "Grand Prize de Jury". Purchasing a ticket for the screening I was "warned" the film was subtitled to which I replied "do you have to warn us that it's not in 3D as well?", which may have been a jokingly snide quip but is a sad indictment of the times. Nevertheless, for those that get the opportunity to view this film you will not be disappointing as "Un Prophete" is a powerful production carrying some stellar performances from both cast and director. It is an engrossing crime drama that manages to be both brutal and shocking yet humane and heart warming that will convert even the most ardent disbeliever.