A Prophet
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Year: 2009
Rated: R
Program Length: 155 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p
Languages: French, German 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German, Turkish
The Program
A 2009 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, A Prophet is a densely plotted and highly original epic crime film. The film opens as a 19-year-old Arab named Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is being transported to serve a six-year sentence in a French prison. The specifics of his crime are never mentioned, and his protestations of innocence are not taken seriously. As he checks into prison he is frightened and introverted, and he seems determined to do his time by keeping to himself. He quickly discovers that it is impossible to remain anonymous and inconspicuous. In the exercise yard he is accosted by prisoners who rough him up and steal his shoes. He comes to learn that a group prisoners from
Faced with the choice of kill or be killed, Malik has no choice but to comply. The French prison is unusual in that each prisoner has his own cell, but within the cellblock they are free to visit the cells of other prisoners until they are locked down at night. Malik gradually ingratiates himself with Reyeb, who eventually invites Malik to his cell, where he expects Malik to perform fellatio upon him. Malik's plan, which has been carefully choreographed by Corsicans, goes horribly awry, resulting in a shockingly bloody and messy scene. Malik's effort is appreciated by César, who promises him protection and allows him limited access to the inner circle. The other Corsicans grudgingly go along with this, although they treat Malik more like a servant than a compatriot. As time passes César begins to increasingly rely upon Malik to run errands for him, and Malik begins to gain a degree of respect among the other prisoners. However, a crack in César's power develops when the French government decides to move most of the Corsicans to a prison which is closer to
A Prophet is a fascinating study of how prison life can turn a basically non-violent convict into a hardened and ruthless criminal. Prisoners who make the right connections and learn to play the game correctly end up with televisions, DVD players, CD players and refrigerators in their cells. Drug dealing is rampant behind bars, and bribing the guards even gives the prisoners access to prostitutes in their cells. Staying out of trouble rewards prisoners with occasional one-day furloughs, which Malik takes advantage of by acting as a courier for César and laying the groundwork for his own criminal enterprises. As noted above, the plotting is dense and it requires attention to keep track of everything which is happening. In fact, I plan to watch it again soon because I suspect that there are elements which I may have missed the first time around. The squeamish should take note of the fact that the R rating is well-deserved, as there are several scenes of gut-wrenching violence. That said, viewers who enjoy films of this genre are sure to be rewarded by A Prophet. The acting, particularly by Niels Arestrup as César, is uniformly excellent, and director Jacques Audiard keeps the action moving along in high gear. The film won a BAFTA as Best Film Not in the English Language and also deservedly was a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. A Prophet also was Grand Prix winner at
The Video
A Prophet is a gritty film which has been given a superb Blu-ray transfer by Sony. The color palette is deliberately muted, but the picture is consistently sharp and detailed. The 1.85:1 framing appears to be spot-on, and an appropriate level of film grain gives it a natural film-like appearance. There are many dark scenes, which are served well by the solid black levels and very good shadow detail. I did not detect any digital anomalies and Sony happily continues to avoid the use of excessive DNR. Viewers of this Blu-ray disc will have nothing to complain about.
The Audio
The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is solid and powerful, both in French and German. There is one scene of gunfire inside a car which may cause you to jump out of your seat. The white English subtitles appear by default and are easy to read, but they can be turned off. My knowledge of French falls well short of fluency, but the English subtitles appear to be accurate. Dialogue is mostly confined to the center channel, but the surround channels are effectively used to convey ambient sounds and they really come to life during the more violent scenes. The film also has a very involving musical soundtrack, including tunes in English such as "Take Me Home with You Baby" by Jessie Mae Hemphill and "Mack the Knife" by Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The music is given an expansive soundstage.
The Supplements
There are just a few extras on this Blu-ray disc. A commentary track with director Jacques Audiard, actor Tahar Rahim, and co-writer Thomas Bidegain is in French, with English subtitles. The other extras, which are in standard definition, include four deleted scenes, one of which is shockingly violent. Screen test footage of Tahar Rahim is mildly interesting, as is some of the rehearsal footage. Sony has included the original theatrical trailers, as well as previews for Micmacs, The Secret in their Eyes, Get Low, The White Ribbon, Please Give, Mother and Child, The Last Station, and Cemetery Junction.
As usual, BD-Live features will be enabled on the release date.
The Packaging
The single disc comes in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
The Final Analysis
A Prophet is an exceptionally violent but very well-made film which graphically explores the seamy, corrupt underbelly of prison life and its effect upon those who are incarcerated. Although most of the action takes place within prison walls, this film has broader scope than the typical prison film and for that reason is far more powerful than the typical prison film.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specifications by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date:
