GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
Menu

The Essential 713, made interactive

Find your next
great film.

Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #195 on its own—not above the ranking.
Refine this collection

Your canon

Back up / restore my film dataLoading your progress…Saved only in this browser
Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

Director:
Cast:
View A Prophet film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

An isolated young man entering prison is forced to navigate its criminal hierarchies.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Nineteen-year-old Malik El Djebena enters a French prison alone and without protection. Corsican inmates force him into a violent task, after which he begins learning languages, routines, and criminal networks that extend beyond the prison walls.

Why it belongs

A Prophet charts criminal education through prison geography, language, ritual, and Tahar Rahim's watchful transformation from prey to strategist.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Cells, corridors, visiting rooms, transport vans, whispered instructions, and multilingual alliances make power spatial and practical—Tahar Rahim's changing posture and attention let Malik's education unfold incrementally rather than through a sudden transformation.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
BAFTA1 win2010 · official BAFTA 2010 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.9
Engagement9.3
Ease8.5

French · R
Narrative Feature
Mood: Tense & Absorbing