A Prophet

A Prophet, the tale of an underdog delinquent who rises to the top of a crime syndicate while being operating from inside a prison and with the time minimum amount of time outside. This is the story of someone who has lost his chance at redemption and rehabilitation for a simple crime and instead trodden the road to crime infamy, but nonetheless, it has been a prosperous one although obstacles had to be surmounted. The film is solely about the main character and his rise to the top of the syndicate with no excessive decadence and glamour with no romanticizing of heavy indulgences.

The narrative style is prompt and gritty, sequences are given emphasis and significance if it caters to the development of his character to the rest of the plot. The plot shifts between letting the events transpire naturally with the use of handheld cameras to bring about a deft touch of realism and continuously without meandering into unnecessary side-plots or monologues. The story gives a pause to remind of the temporal divisions by letting knows of the seasons to signify the change of time and the prison time he has done. The drama unfolds either gradually from a scene with simmering tension to the total outburst or by showing it without any build up and straight to the conflict and the subsequent resolution.

The character of the protagonist is the best portrayed in the entire film because of the immense transformation that he going on-screen when he develops from an imbecile to the top dog of the syndicate that he has been affiliated with. He is initially reluctant and distraught but once he gets involved he waits patiently and learns the tricks of the trade. For most of the film he is following orders from the top crime boss in the prison and he is doing it sincerely, but once he finds an opportunity for himself to flourish without the aid of his mentor, he goes for it and eventually comes out being daring, risk-taking, diplomatic and straight-out diabolically all the meanwhile having a hallucination as a companion.

The movie overtly indicates the conflict and hatred that exists between the different racial groups and the prevalence of corruption, touching upon these as a means for the rise of the protagonist instead being the focus or a major story element. The film, because of its genre, is giving a commentary on power, corruption and the segmented social fabric of a nation which is being further deteriorated because of government apathy and deep-seated bigotry.

In the end, it's a fantastic story of a rise of power in the ranks, the story that squeezes out any witty monologues or extreme and glamorous portrayal of decadence and self-indulgence in drugs and women, though it is shown but merely as glimpses. Because we witness his transformation and personal trials and tribulations of the main character, we naturally feel empathetic, even though he is innately an amoral person, endowed with everyday human feelings.