--- title: "A Prophet: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-prophet/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-prophet" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Prophet (2009): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 14 reviews: 13 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to A Prophet, praising its tense prison setting, detailed account of criminal power and Tahar Rahim’s performance. The reviews repeatedly single out his convincing portrayal of a young inmate learning to survive through observation, alliances and violence. Audiard’s direction also draws broad approval for making the routines and hierarchies of prison life absorbing, while allowing the crime story to carry a wider examination of French society without losing its pace. The reservations concern how securely its realism sits alongside its more poetic passages, and how much invention the familiar gangster framework permits. Variety finds some plotting mechanical, while The Hollywood Reporter notes tonal clashes and excessive length. The clearest dissent comes from /Film, which admires the craft and Rahim but finds the story formulaic and its depth overstated; most critics regard the institutional detail and personal transformation as enough to distinguish it. ## Little White Lies — Dan Brightmore Rating 3/5/5. 21 January 2010. The critic hails the film as a modern gangster classic that combines the epic scope of The Godfather with raw brutality, immersing viewers in a shifting prison hierarchy and feudal power system. Rahim's transformative performance as the underdog who rises through cunning and violence is singled out as breathtaking and convincing. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/a-prophet/) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating A-. 25 February 2010. Distinguishes itself through meticulous attention to the mechanics of prison life and the protagonist's coming-of-age as a criminal. A well-told, absorbing pulp story that is exciting and poetic, comparable to a Gallic Goodfellas. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-prophet-1798164404) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2010. The critic finds it a blisteringly powerful and gripping prison-gangster picture that establishes itself as a modern classic from the opening frames. He singles out the confident, intentional direction and the lead performance by newcomer Tahar Rahim as particularly compelling. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jan/21/a-prophet-review) ## Film Comment — Amy Taubin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2010. The review praises the film's gripping organized-crime thriller elements and Tahar Rahim's standout performance as the resourceful antihero Malik. It highlights Audiard's distinctive blend of lyricism, violence, and detailed institutional depiction. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/a-prophet-review/) ## IndieWire — robbiefreeling Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2010. Examines Malik's rise in the prison underworld as a stranger navigating alliances and power. Highlights Audiard's focus on the protagonist's personal transformation and the film's blend of realism and style. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general/the-stranger-audiards-a-prophet-225823/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2009. Festival review. The critic praises Audiard's unimpeachable command in extending his range with this violent, gripping prison drama that succeeds as both hard-edged social realism and compelling genre entertainment. The detailed depiction of prison life, organized crime politics and the young inmate's rise through the ranks is highlighted as immensely detailed and cynically matter-of-fact. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/-a-prophet-un-prophete/5001221.article) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 19 January 2010. The review commends Audiard's skill in plunging viewers into a vicious parallel prison world that blends state-of-nation commentary with a terrific crime flick, praising the mature handling of violence and the sheer force of the direction. It singles out the claustrophobic murder scene and the realist style for particular impact, despite some puzzling flights of fancy. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-prophet-1) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2009. Festival review. The review describes a tough, intricate account of a young French-Arab inmate's rise through prison gangs, noting Audiard's jangly style and strong lead performance amid a complex web of allegiances. It calls the film solid pulp fiction with arthouse appeal despite some mechanical plotting. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/a-prophet-1200474855/) ## Empire — Andrew Male 30 December 2009. The critic finds Audiard’s expansive prison drama strains against genre conventions with thrilling invention and a masterful lead performance. It is ultimately a modern French crime epic whose flaws do not diminish its passages of great power. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/prophet-review/) ## Evening Standard 10 April 2012. The critic hails the film as a masterpiece and the best portrait of French society since La Haine. It is praised for its gripping, far-reaching exploration of life on the margins through an authentic prison world. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/a-prophet-is-a-masterpiece-from-the-margins-7418309.html) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager 22 February 2010. Reenergizes the prison movie through painstaking attention to particulars of the locale, power dynamics, and Malik's survival-driven rise. Commends the taut, gritty filmmaking with poetic flashes, strong lead performance, and refusal to sentimentalize or preach. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-prophet/) ## The Hollywood Reporter 16 May 2009. Festival review. A powerful prison drama and old-fashioned Bildungsroman in intensely realistic disguise. Praises the raw intensity of hyper-realistic encounters, superb acting by newcomer Tahar Rahim, and Audiard's deconstruction of power structures, though notes some tonal clashes and excessive length. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/prophet-film-review-93162/) ## The Independent 5 June 2010. The critic calls Audiard’s prison thriller an education in gangsterism for its young protagonist. It stands out for its realism and political engagement rarely seen in American or British prison films. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-a-prophet-1992328.html) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 26 February 2010. The critic praises the film's moral depth and Audiard's assured direction of a prison story that tracks a young Arab inmate's transformation through cunning and violence. The lead performance and the film's ethnographic detail on prison life are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/movies/26prophet.html) ## Total Film 22 December 2009. The critic describes the film as an excellent, gritty Gallic take on prison drama with a staggeringly assured lead performance. It stands out for its convincing milieu created with real cons and its gripping story of ascent. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/a-prophet-review/) ## The Playlist — Kimber Myers Rating A-. 26 February 2010. The review calls it a gritty, gripping gangster film in the vein of Scarface but better, crediting Audiard's skillful direction and especially Tahar Rahim's breakthrough performance as the ambitious, cunning protagonist. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-un-prophete-is-gritty-gripping-20100226/) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2009. Festival review. The critic praises the film's gripping thriller elements and grim realism as a sociopolitical exposé of prison life, while highlighting its concern with processes of education, assimilation and transfiguration. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/a-prophet-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Den of Geek — Michael Leader Rating 4/5. 20 January 2010. The critic calls it the first great film of 2010, a gripping crime thriller with freshness and depth. Praise goes to the tense prison setting, strong performances especially Rahim's, and Audiard's stylish direction mixing visceral action with poetic elements. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-prophet-review/) ## Paste — Sean Edgar Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2010. The critic praises the film's realistic, documentarian take on prison crime syndicates and its exploration of racial tensions in France through the protagonist's rise. Strong performances, especially by Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup, fuel the two-and-a-half-hour epic into a mesmerizing slow burn. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jacques-audiard/a-prophet-review) ## The Skinny — Gail Tolley Rating 4/5. 18 January 2010. The review describes it as a remarkably assured prison drama where Audiard outdoes Scorsese, with riveting pace and tension from the protagonist's rise in the criminal hierarchy. It singles out the quietly effective final scene for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/a-prophet) ## /Film — Hunter Stephenson Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2010. The critic finds the film engrossing and well-crafted with a memorable lead performance by Tahar Rahim but ultimately formulaic and borderline genre fare that does not fully live up to its hype or achieve the depth of classics like The Godfather. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/507276/movie-review-a-prophet-is-the-cannes-fave-really-a-godfather-esque-masterpiece/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-prophet.md