By Neil White

IT'S this year's Gomorrah.

And A Prophet, Jacques Audiard's tale of a toe rag's triumph of expediency in the prison system, is well worth its place in the Oscar runners.

Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is the said ne'er-do-well who arrives in jail without family or friends either on the outside or within the prison's walls.

This enables him to become a chameleon who inveigles himself with a hardnut Corsican gang which holds the greatest power in the jail, at the same time as partially courting other factions.

The atmosphere is brutal but it does not prevent some cerebral challenges for Malik. Early on, for example, he has to decide whether he will murder in return for protection.

It's a decision which brings much anxiety and has deep consequences. But in the end his mastery of the tightrope of secretly playing sides off against each other while pursuing his own route to power is spellbinding. This is no easy path to the top. His suffering is considerable throughout.

Rahim is outstanding as Malik. He needs to be – he is hardly ever off the screen. Of equal standing is Niels Arestrup as the ageing but violently domineering Corsican mafia boss.

A PROPHET

CERTIFICATE: 18

RUNNING TIME: 154mins

STARTS: Today until Thursday at Quad in Derby,

RATING: 4/5