Page 14 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • March 31, 2010 ‘A Prophet’ depicts man surviving prison life by Dennis Seuling “A Prophet,” this year’s nominee from France for Best Foreign Film, is the story of illiterate, 19-year-old Malik (Tahar Rahim), an Arab convicted of beating up a policeman. Shortly after being incarcerated, he is set upon by two inmates who steal his sneakers, and he is approached by Cesar (Niels Arestrup), the leader of a Corsican gang that runs the jail, including corrupt guards. Cesar asks for a favor -- one that will determine whether Malik will gain Cesar’s protection and survive his six-year sentence. What is so frightening is how quickly Malik must act. There is little time for him to consider his choices. When a film’s central character is not a nice guy, the director has to make him interesting enough for the audience to care about. In this, director Jacques Audiard succeeds. This is largely due to Rahim’s performance. Malik is initially seen as a victim, and the viewer is concerned that he may not survive the horrors of prison life. When Malik decides to learn to read and write, and takes the initiative in dealing with Cesar, his self-assurance emerges. Though Cesar doesn’t trust the Muslims who are beginning to outnumber his own gang in the prison, he trusts Malik, who learns about the prison hierarchy, rampant corruption, and the deadly workings of crime and revenge. In the outside world, Malik would be admired for his enterprising nature. Arestrup’s Cesar is a vivid portrayal of camouflaged evil. Cesar is physically unimposing, sits in the prison yard like an old man napping, but takes in everything. He is always watching, seeing who speaks to whom, who the new inmates are, and who is weak. His power is not in muscle and bravado, but in his eagle-eyed view of his surroundings and his ability to get things done. Arestrup’s Cesar is reminiscent of Brando’s Don Corleone. Both men are soft-spoken crime bosses who can order executions by mere gesture. Cesar is formidable, and all at the prison know it. Director Audiard provides a gritty portrait of life in a French prison, where bigotry against an increasing Muslim population parallels the situation outside. This is an important theme of the film, but does not dominate it. Audiard’s focus is on how Malik learns how to parlay his relationship with a powerful crime boss into an ability to make his own bid for power. “A Prophet” is a chronicle of a young man’s education in the art of self-preservation, seizing opportunities, and taking advantages of weaknesses in others. Malik becomes adept at these skills as he undergoes a transformation from naive, uneducated thug to sharp-witted threat to the In prison, Malik (Tamir Rahim, left) is taken under the wing of crime boss Cesar (Niels Arestrup) in ‘A Prophet.’ prison’s status quo. The title comes from the fact that Malik has dreams that foreshadow certain events so he can act on what he knows will occur. The beginning of the film is filled with enormous tension as Malik is initiated into his unglamorous, violent prison existence. Unfortunately the plot gets overly complex, involving warring drug cartels, day leaves into Marseilles, and a planned assassination. These subplots take too much screen time and bring the film in at an uncomfortable two and a half hours. A good 15 to 20 minutes could easily have been pruned to tighten things up. “A Prophet” is rated R for violence, nudity, and strong language. �������� ������� ��������� �������� ���������� ������������ ����� �������� ��������� ��������������������������������������������� Join us for Join us on Easter ������������� ��������� ������������������������� ���������� �������� ������ ���������� �������������������� ���������� ������������������ ������� ������ Sunday, April 4th ����������������� ������� ������ HAPPY HOUR ������������������������ ������������������ �������������� ���������� except holidays ��������������� ������������� ������������������ ��������� ��������������������� �������������� ��������� ���������������� � ���������������������� except holidays �������������� �� �������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������ 3-10-10