Un Prophete

As noted previously, Saturday night was a rough night for good movies. Maybe that was a reaction caused by our Friday night viewing: Un Prophete. Before I go further - GO SEE THIS MOVIE! It was excellent from start to finish - acting, direction, cinematography, story - the entire film had a tension to it that I rarely find in modern cinema.
The movie stars Tahar Rahim in a star making part. He is incarcerated in a French prison and has to quickly learn the ropes. Without spoiling too much, he goes into jail a poor, illiterate boy with no friends or family and leaves with an education, family, and a life waiting for him on the outside. How he gets there spans two and a half hours, covers a few different jail cells, multiple shower scenes (some benign, some violent), different cities, and some things you would never expect to happen. The movie could have been cut down to two hours or so but it does not suffer at its length.
This movie is so good I really don't want to go into the details of the plot because you should go see it. Just know that you do not know how this will end and the protaganist's life always feels one misturn away from ending. This tension is a breath of fresh air compared to predictable flicks like Avatar, District 9, and An Education. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!