A Prophet

Variety“A tough, absorbingly intricate account of a young French-Arab...” While Audiard deploys a few modernist touches such as intertitles, slo-mo and iris shots, as well as a full-bodied score by Alexandre Desplat, an atmosphere of gritty realism predominates...

Total Film “All in all, this makes a fair bid for any list of great prison dramas...” Audiard follows The Beat That My Heart Skipped with another riveting insight into French thug life. The unsparing atmosphere – and Tahar Rahim’s star-making turn – will sweep you along...

Time Out film“An engrossing, terrifying prison drama...” Audiard’s direction and unflagging concern for his central character ensure that ‘A Prophet’ is never less than believable, thoughtful and, although very uncomfortable at points, incredibly entertaining...

The Times“One of the great films of 2010, if not the coming decade...” At two hours and 40 minutes, it’s a hefty investment in time, but Audiard keeps the film miraculously free of flab and padding. It’s lean, dangerous, urgent: every stark frame is included for a reason...

The Telegraph“There’s less here than meets the eye...” Rahim is a charismatic performer, and some scenes, such as that in which he practices concealing a blade in his mouth, are gruesomely effective. But the best thrillers thrive on concision: this film, clocking in at over 150 minutes, drags on...

The Independent“Precisely what great drama should be about...” A Prophet will be bracketed in years to come as a prison drama, but it will stay in the memory of those who see it as a character study, bristling with cross-currents of feeling and sharp observation...

Little White Lies“Takes its place among the greatest crime films ever made...” Audiard has provided French cinema with a shot to the main vein that should be a call-to-arms to a new generation of French filmmakers to do it their way, concentrating on character and avoiding the pitfalls of Hollywood high concept...

Guardian“A long, involved, relentlessly brutal but gripping and thrilling picture...” It comports itself like a modern classic from the very first frames, instantly ­hitting its massively confident stride. This is the work of the rarest kind of film-maker, the kind who knows ­precisely what he is doing and where he is going...

Empire“A modern French crime epic...” Against the cosy genre conventions of that other recent grandiose French crime flick, Mesrine, A Prophet’s ambition and sense of thrilling invention is commendable...

Channel4 Film“An inspired choice to cast the relatively unknown Tahar Rahim...” Whilst still a work of fiction, the main appeal of A Prophet is its dressed-down realism, giving an outsider perspective on the drive of an individual drawn by necessity into an unglamorous and unappealing lifestyle...