Finally watched Un prophète today. Very impressive. Powerhouse performances. Rich, multilayered, never over-explanatory but always accessible, clever but not too slick. Open to a variety of readings: prison-as-society/France/Europe, religious parable, straight-up criminal-rise-to-power genre film, etc. Also, on a purely visceral level, it contains some seriously intense scenes that almost had me cover my eyes.
Straight into my top 10 of 2009.