A Prophet - Jacques Audiard

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize, Cannes 2009, this is an intense, very violent film with excellent acting. It is much like The Godfather, in that one knows the cycle of crime and death will continue. A young French-Arab reform school graduate is sentenced to six years in prison. Scarred and well used to being hyper alert, he manages to survive by joining the Corsicans and by proving his worth by murdering a fellow Muslim. The whole system is corrupt and there is no way to win except by becoming part of it. The education he gets only helps him learn to read and write, it does not bring him opportunities to escape. Even as he leaves the prison, he is followed by three cars. Is he the new master of the Paris underworld or is he being tracked down.