Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Petty criminal Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) enters prison as a blank canvas – he has little education, no family, no friends and no enemies – and apart from one clue ("what do you do besides attacking cops?") it's not clear why he's been given a six-year sentence.
The 19-year-old is soon greeted with a brutal mugging for his trainers before being targeted by the feared top dog, Cesar Luciana (Niels Arestrup), of the Corsican mafia who rules the prison. Cesar orders Malik – "If you don't kill him, I kill you" – to bump off an Arab inmate, Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi), who is due to testify against him. Malik has no choice. Prison will make him a career criminal, and a depressingly successful one. His horrific assassination of Reyeb, with a razor blade, gains him "servant" status for the Corsicans and he gradually gains Cesar's confidence. He also learns to read and write, teaches himself Corsican and builds his own drug-selling power base.
Jacques Audiard's Cannes Grand Prix winner captures the look, the stench, the squalor and the violence of prison life – no loveable Norman Stanley Fletcher (Porridge) rogues here, just beatings in the showers and ethnic hatred in the courtyard. Rahim is compelling as Malik, but we could have done with a tad more background information about him. Nevertheless, this epic and provocative gangster drama never flags and the superb Arestrup makes for a suitably vicious Mob boss.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments