‘A Prophet’

Start Oscar weekend by seeing the film that just swept the Cesars, the French Oscars, taking nine awards, including best picture. Part prison film, part crime story, part intense personal drama, this violent narrative with the power and drive of a Formula 1 racer is an answered prayer for those who believe that revitalizing classic forms with contemporary attitudes makes for the most compelling kind of cinema. Director Jacques Audiard has always had a passion for well-constructed, emotionally connected stories and “A Prophet” takes that to the highest level yet.

-- Kenneth Turan