This is the first movie I saw of 2016. I certainly hope that it's not prophetic. I think that movies depicting people being locked up in prison hold us in rapt attention because most of us have conscious and sub- conscious fears of being locked up. I certainly identified with the prisoner in this movie because of my fear of being locked up and my fear of people in authority. They're all copies of an authority figure which my father represented to me. Every scene shows the prisoner interacting with authority figures and throws him into deeper complications with authority. His first struggle against authority is striking a blow at a policeman. For this he is convicted to spend the next 6 years in prison. Here he encounter a worse authority figure than the policeman, who is a criminal authority figure, namely of the underworld who makes harsher demands on his obedience than the authority of the law. His obedience to underworld authority ends when he's ordered to murder a Moslem leader. This and the illness of his best friend, also a Mowlem bring him to a realization that there is, after all only one authority to whom he must show obedience and that is Allah. In fact this movie shows the path followed by a prophet according to the Koran: 'We hear, and we obey. We seek Thy forgiveness, Our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.'" (2:285) The message of the movie is obey and seeing that you must obey someone it might as well be Allah, otherwise you'll find yourself having to obey murderous commands given to you by law enforcement personnel or by criminals.

Malik is portrayed as a pretty innocent character throughout the film, even as he is climbing up the ladder and becoming (ironically) more of a criminal in prison. Rahim plays him well, and perhaps it is because the character is used to acting subservient so that he holds this poker type face as a reflex. Ultimately making others underestimate him and he is able to use that to his advantage. Reyeb was a pretty haunting character seeing as he was Malik's 'spirit' hallucination. Yacoubi also doesn't play his character with much emotion, but this makes more sense since his character is supposed to be dead.The story is like an American hood film with the protagonist growing up to be like his master, but in the context of a prison. A French prison to be more exact. I don't think this film is meant to portray a correct representation of French disciplinary institutions, but it definitely depicts a unique system. The prison guards are corrupt, prisoners wear casual clothes, and seemingly walk around wherever they want - with Malik even getting multiple furloughs. What's more, the cells look very similar to that of a college dorm with a table, mini-fridge and whatever else.The violence in this film is very explicit and gruesome. There isn't a lot of fighting, but more of gun violence and of course the scene where Malik kills Reyeb. Quite gory stuff. Also, homosexuality is strongly dismissed, as is common in most gangster films as part of 'masculinity'. On that note, there are only two female characters in this film who appear quite briefly. One to satisfy Malik's sexual needs, and another the wife of Reyeb (also seen as a mother because they have a child). This contrast of the whore and mother figure in films with emphasis on masculinity is getting tiring. Having females in these roles depicts that they are owned by men and have no other purpose but to serve them.Overall a thoughtful film that shows how having no identity could act in favour of a character. Malik is not seen as a very violent person (though he does kill), and instead uses his interpersonal skills and brains to get his success. The film does stall quite a bit in the middle, and I feel that it could have been cut shorter without it affecting the film.Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

I have never seen a prison movie which is so close to the reality of the level of real violence in a prison since 'American Me'-1992(Edward James Olmos.The way the protagonist is sent to prison for a low-level offence and is in reality a nobody, and becomes one of the top-dogs running with the Corsican and Arab Mafia, is a believable story.The brilliant acting by Tahir Rahim in the lead role launched his career in the US and he seems to have stalled on any decent roles since 'The Eagle'-2011 but it would be good to see him in a lead role soon.The film itself is riveting and the way it draws you into Malik's world with twists and turns, you never know what's coming next until it hits you in the face! Brilliantly made and a must see.

i first came across this movie in a international cinema and just from the 1 min preview clip it had me wanted to watch the movie. At first its always fascinating to know about the true and grit of another countries underworld and to compare it to others you've seen. so it sets place in a french prison were its dominated buy the Caucasians (mafia) and the Muslims. Malik is just a lone ranger when you first meet him he has no possessions and more than a couple of franks to his name things quickly escalate for him when the Caucasians boss Ceaser need a favor. I wont say no more on the story because it speaks for it self but its nice to see some fresh actors and a film that portraits the way things go on in prison from every day living to the gangs and i love the fact it the first prison film iv'e seen in a long time that has that started from the bottom to the top aspect of it.one of my all time films in any genre instant classic