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A PROPHET (UN PROPHÈTE)Movie Reviews
French language crime drama about a 19 year-old Arabic man who discovers that crime actually does pay once he's incarcerated and learns to navigate his way between all the opposing prison factions. Cast:Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem YacoubiDirector:Jacques AudiardRelease Date:February 26, 2010DVD Release:August 3, 2010From:Sony ClassicsRating:RLength:2 hr 35 min
AUGUST 3, 2010
A Prophet (Un prophète), Exceptional Reviews Key Cities
A Prophet (Un prophète) played in key cities to exceptional reviews. • Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...an intricate, thrilling film... it is just a prison movie in the same way that 'Casablanca' is just a war story." • And Chris Vognar wrote in the Dallas Morning News, "...a film so comfortable in its intelligence and so assured in its style that every little detail counts." More Reviews Below...
A Prophet (Un prophète) Positive Reviews (41 Reviews, reviews below)
David Germain, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...epic, riveting... unfolds with relentless intensity, wicked humor and a fanciful spirit that puts it in a class apart from the usual dour prison drama."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 02/25/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a quietly stunning saga that won the Grand Prix last year at Cannes and is a worthy Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 02/26/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...as gripping as any recent film about crime and criminals, although its ill-focused attempts to incorporate elements of the supernatural are bizarre and ineffective."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 879 words, 03/03/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...knockout punch of a thriller surpasses its trappings to speak in a universal language about the ways power corrupts the human condition.... a new crime classic."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 138 words, 03/05/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The newcomer Rahim is an enigma. What is he thinking?... It's more absorbing for us to read significance from mystery... fascinating."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 875 words, 03/04/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...one of those rare films in which the moral stakes are as insistent and thought through as the aesthetic choices... thrilling..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,348 words, 02/26/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup are both so outstanding that if this were an English-language film, they'd probably be nominated for Oscars, too."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 136 words, 02/26/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...masterful... an answered prayer for those who believe that revitalizing classic forms with contemporary attitudes makes for the most compelling kind of cinema."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 984 words, 02/26/10
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: OUTSTANDING "...febrile, engrossing.... Rahim is an exciting, unpredictable presence, and Arestrup's César has a stature that's nearly Shakespearean."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 471 words, 02/15/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The newcomer Rahim is an enigma. What is he thinking?... It's more absorbing for us to read significance from mystery... fascinating."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 875 words, 03/04/10
Rob Nelson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...not naturalistic so much as neutered, less revisionist than rote.... Jacques Audiard's approach to cinematic '70s-isms is slavish -- and downright corny."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 648 words, 02/24/10
James Adams, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...voters at the French version of the Academy Awards gave it nine awards... best picture, best director, best actor (Rahim) and best supporting actor (Arestrup) honours."(See all of James Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 764 words, 03/05/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "If Malik doesn't remind you of Al Pacino's Michael Corleone on his journey from innocence to corruption in 'The Godfather' saga, well... he should."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 578 words, 03/12/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has the big opening and the big finish, but the middle is somewhat less exciting, though it always maintains at least a loose hold on interest..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 03/12/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the grittiest prison thriller in years.... tells a familiar story with verve and violence and tempo; a movie that stands with the best prison thrillers from any country..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 04/23/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...strikes home like a shiv in the ribs. French director Jacques Audiard's grim, disturbing prison picture slices through gangster clichés to hit raw nerve."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 633 words, 03/12/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the kind of film that, if not perhaps at first blush, often proves to be the most rewarding: difficult, complex and ultimately close to brilliant."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 03/12/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Audiard has given the film skin-pimpling intensity and spiky political resonance.... It's imperfect, but it's daring, bold, and from a director who isn't scared of anything."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,264 words, 03/05/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...haunting... Audiard ('The Beat That My Heart Skipped') employs a nervous, jittery camera to tell the story, and his use of light is often startling..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 03/12/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...long and sometimes grueling, but it never feels indulgent... In order to be subtle about the horrifying transformation he records, Audiard needs to let it unfold slowly..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 03/19/10
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a gritty, passionate, magnificently crafted film that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as 'The Godfather,' 'GoodFellas' and 'Gomorrah.' "(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 04/02/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: EXCELLENT(cg) "There's a seething tension to 'A Prophet' that never really settles down. It's the kind of film that keeps you squirming until the end."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 03/26/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...lays out, in scrupulous detail, Malik's evolution into a cunning, resourceful criminal... His transformation is heroic, almost inspirational."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 03/19/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...not naturalistic so much as neutered, less revisionist than rote.... Jacques Audiard's approach to cinematic '70s-isms is slavish -- and downright corny."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 648 words, 02/24/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...deviations in style intensify the harsh realism... The old templates no longer apply. In this film, it does profit a man to gain the whole world -- by so doing, he finds his soul."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 600 words, 03/04/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...traces a rags-to-riches story comparable to crime classics such as Scarface'... offers an object lesson in cultural assimilation..."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 433 words, 03/17/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "This is not Hollywood mayhem, or Tarantino-inspired buffoonery.... uncompromising in its style, story and characterizations."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 709 words, 02/26/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...one of those rare films in which the moral stakes are as insistent and thought through as the aesthetic choices... thrilling..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,348 words, 02/26/10
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: EXCELLENT "...runs on brutish naturalism, with Audiard forsaking the sly wit of his earlier films like 'A Self-Made Hero' and getting straight into the faces of his characters."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 336 words, 02/22/10
David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: OUTSTANDING "...a plot that vaguely resembles Brian De Palma's 'Scarface'... But Audiard regards his hero differently. He doesn't celebrate the man, but he doesn't damn him, either."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 387 seconds, 02/26/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...masterful... an answered prayer for those who believe that revitalizing classic forms with contemporary attitudes makes for the most compelling kind of cinema."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 984 words, 02/26/10
Peter Brunette, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "What's most immediately remarkable about the film is the raw intensity of its hyper-realistic encounters, hugely enhanced by the superb acting of newcomer Tahar Rahim."(See all of Peter Brunette's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 622 words, 05/16/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...masterful... an answered prayer for those who believe that revitalizing classic forms with contemporary attitudes makes for the most compelling kind of cinema."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 984 words, 02/26/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...powerful, intensely realistic... benefits immensely from the raw freshness of its lead character.... deeply thought, intimate, well-acted, and visually impressive."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 02/22/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...one of those rare films in which the moral stakes are as insistent and thought through as the aesthetic choices... thrilling..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,348 words, 02/26/10
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "This is not Hollywood mayhem, or Tarantino-inspired buffoonery.... uncompromising in its style, story and characterizations."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 709 words, 02/26/10
15.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
A Prophet (Un prophète)'s reviews are separated by an average 15.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
A Prophet (Un prophète) (41 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:A Prophet (Un prophète)'s reviews cover 63.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 22,702 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 554 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
A Prophet (Un prophète) Coverage, Volume & Length (41 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
A Prophet (Un prophète)'s reviews on average broke 9.5 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is A Prophet (Un prophète)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
A Prophet (Un prophète) (41 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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