The Film
Given this film's title - A Prophet - you might expect some great insight in the prison system, or expect the main character to accomplish something quite extraordinary. This isn't the case; but this remains a fairly powerful - albeit way too long - prison drama. The film tells the story of 19-year-old Malik (Tahar Rahim), who arrives in prison for undisclosed reasons. He's a petty criminal thrown into a world of hardcore felons and powerful gangsters. He's also part Arab and part Corsican and thus straddles the clearly defined social boundaries of the inside.
Recruited by the Corsican mob - who really only uses him as a disposable tool, at least at first - he climbs up their ranks by taking on even more daring deeds, until he is able to start pulling the strings. The film bogs down with too much filler, and this is unfortunate because better pacing could have made this a Mafioso classic, Corsican style.
For another take on A Prophet, read David Kempler's review.
The Picture
The world is a bleak place for anyone doing hard time, and the film shows this with very muted colors and lots of shades of gray. This comes through quite clearly in the 1080p 1.85:1 presentation on Blu-ray. There is some graininess at times, but this isn't really a problem of the transfer. There is a lot of symbolism to watch for, and the Blu-ray makes it easy to make sure you don't miss those important signs.
Much of the film takes place within the confines of the prison and the audio sounds a bit flat as a result, but again this isn't really a complaint, but rather what we'd expect. This is contrasted to a few key moments later in the film when Malik takes part in a fairly daring assassination. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack in this one sequence may draw you in for repeated viewings, as few films accurately recreate the sound of gunfire in an enclosed space. It also comes as the film begins to drag on, so consider this the ultimate wake up for a movie that needed a bit of a nudge.
The only significant complaint about the audio is aimed more at the presentation than the Blu-ray specifically. Characters speak a variety of languages including French and Corsu, as well as Arabic. These linguistic differences may be difficult for an American audience to follow - especially between the French and Corsu. Subsequently, it may take viewers a moment to realize how characters can get away with talking about someone who is standing right there with them. This is something to keep in mind, as it only becomes clear later in the film.
The Extras
The bonus features include a commentary with the director Jacque Audiard as well as Rahim, and screenwriter Thomas Bidegain. Unless you speak French this can be a tad hard to follow, but it has some interesting insight. The rest of the extras are fairly light: some deleted scenes, screen tests and rehearsal footage. For a film that could have cut at least 20 minutes, this bonus material isn't much of a bonus.
Final Thoughts
There have been many prison dramas that show life on the inside, and this one offers a good look at a mostly unseen international system. It is interesting to see that prisoners in Corsica get big loaves of French bread daily! As a crime drama, The Prophet offers a powerful, yet fairly predictable tale. So while it makes for an enjoyable film, it's just too long and might have you feel like you're doing time watching it.
Product Details
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