Luciano: No longer scared of me? If you can walk around this place, it's because I had you made porter. If you eat...it's thanks to me. If you dream, think, live...it's thanks to me. You have no guards? Dumb shit! The name Luciani is branded on your face! You live off me, Djebena! People look at you and see me.
Malik el Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is a 19 year old delinquent serving a six year prison sentence who doesn't take any side, either with the Corsicans or with the Muslims. But all that is about to change. He is asked by the prison kingpin, Cesar Luciani (Neils Arestrup), to get Reyeb killed in exchange for protection till he serves his time.
Malik realizes soon that the only way to survive in the prison is to work for Luciani. He runs small errands for Luciani and with his help and some good behavior in the prison, he manages to get a day off every week. Luciani, of course, uses these "leaves" to make him carry out more errands.When Malik gets into trouble with another Egyptian dealer, he suggests to his friend outside to make the Egyptian a partner and go on to rule the market and settle scores later when the time is right. Malik is no Michael Corleone for whom revenge means everything. He is a realist, unsure, unassuming and the innocence is never lost. A fast learner who knows when to keep his head down and when to stand up.
This is the second movie from Jacques Audiard (Of The Beat that my Heart Skipped fame) I've seen. He's brilliant in building the characters and the movie, at two and a half hours length, is gripping and never makes you feel bored. Both Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup play their respective roles to perfection. And even though the movie is not really fast-paced, it's one of the best crime dramas I've seen in a long time.
Rating - 8/10
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