Rising international thespian Tahar Rahim is quickly filling up his dance card. The star of “A Prophet” has been hand-picked by German director Fatih Akin for the leading role in “The Cut,” the conclusion of an acclaimed trilogy that includes “Head-On” (2005) and “The Edge of Heaven” (2007).
“While ‘Head-On’ dealt with romance and ‘Edge of Heaven’ with mortality, the conclusion of Akin’s trilogy will focus on the devil—that is, the evil inherent in mankind,” writes HollywoodReporter.com.
“It should be familiar ground for Rahim, whose international breakthrough in the violent ‘A Prophet’ came from playing a young Arab sent to prison who rises through the ranks to become a mafia kingpin.”
Rahim, 30, was most recently seen in last year’s period action-adventure “The Eagle” opposite Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. His controversial indie-drama “Love and Bruises” made the film festival circuit but has not, as yet, landed a U.S. distribution deal.
In the meantime, Rahim has fournew flicks already playing elsewhere in the world or making their way around the festival circuit. Unfortunately, none of them currently have U.S. release dates.
Here’s the basic rundown:
“Black Gold,” an epic adventure from Jean-Jacques Annaud opposite Antonio Banderas and Frieda Pinto, is already screening in other parts of the globe. The groundbreaking film is among the first to be fully financed by Arab backers about and from the Arab world.
“Free Men” from director Ismael Ferroukhi premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last summer. The “Hollywood Reporter” notes the true-life saga tells “the true story of a Muslim Algerian immigrant living in Vichy, France who was inspired to join the resistance because of a friendship with a Jewish singer.”
SlashFilm.com is already cheering for “Cool Water,” described as a black comedy. “Why should you care about ‘Cool Water’? For one, because Tahar Rahim is amazing in ‘A Prophet,’” they write, “and because Emir Kusturica can be a great director, and much of his recent output has been hard to find. ‘Variety’ reports that Rahim [plays] one of two Palestinian brothers who try to smuggle the body of their recently deceased father from Jerusalem to Ramallah while avoiding Israeli police and Russian mobsters.”
Finally, IndieWire.com calls “Loving Without Reason” a “reunion of talent” from “A Prophet.” Director Joachim Lafosse reunites Rahim with his “Prophet” screenwriter Thomas Bidegain and costar Niels Arestrup. The true-crime account tells the story of “a doctor who raises his friend’s brother in Belgium and the drama that develops when the boy grows up and raises his own family. The story is inspired by a riveting true story of a Belgian mother who killed her five children before attempting suicide.”
Clearly no rom-coms opposite Jennifer Aniston or gigs as a Eurotrash villain in a big-budget action flick are on Rahim’s Hollywood agenda. That’s a good thing, right?
CLICK HERE for Indiewire article
CLICK HERE for a YouTube interview with Rahim about “Black Gold.”