C'est La Vie

For my first post, I would like to switch it up a little. When we think about France, we think about their arts, music, and cuisine and of course history. However, we do not think about social issues in the country. Organized crime is prominent in every country but we do not talk about it because they are underground. The first thing that pops in my head when I hear organized crime is of course the mafia and Hollywood has done a magnificent job of creating a franchise of it. On a serious note, organized crimes have globalized because of technology and economic struggles in other countries. In my opinion, organized crime is interesting because it has to do with economics, strategies and enforcement. The key word is organized which means, these groups are not reckless and instead caution and strategic.

Un Prophete is about a young Arabic, Malik El Djebena who is place in prison to serve six years. He stays to himself until the head of Corsican thug; Cesar Luciani gives him an ultimatum: kill an Arab inmate or he dies. As Malik serves his years, he also learns the way of the organized crime. I do not want ruin the rest of the film but I do recommend it if you like The Godfather, Goodfella and other crime drama films. Here's a clip to give you a little taste of the film.

 

Now here is the best part of this post. Critique Time! Monsieur Jacques Audiard directed the film and released in 2010. Audiard’s works recognized for strong lead performances and crime films. Reading his biography, I learned that he had the talent of screenwriting and directing because he entered in the film industry young and his father was a screenwriter. As to my critique about the film, I absolutely enjoyed it. Audiard’s vision of a rookie learning the ways of the crime was intriguing. Malik started not knowing how to write or read and ended up knowing the business of the trade. This gangster film is not naive in any way. Matter of fact, Malik’s character has many layers and he learns to use them to learn the ways. .