A visceral crime thriller which earned numerous comparisons to The Godfather upon release, Jacques Audiard's prison drama sees newcomer Tahar Rahim play Malik El Djebena, a young Algerian-born man who ends up in the slammer for a petty crime and quickly climbs the prison hierarchy. Audiard leaves no stone unturned as he depicts the brutal nature of prison life (an early scene involving a razor blade will remain scarred on the retinas of anyone who sees it), and though this sort of material is nothing new, the deep socio-political undercurrent helps it feel fresh throughout. With such a firm hold on the structures of prison life (political and otherwise), it's little surprise that A Prophet won the BAFTA for Best Film Not In The English Language.