Ardh el-Khof

An exquisite work of art by the director. Ahmad Zaki was magnificent as usual. Although the movie is set on drug dealing background, it has a very complex psychology in it. The movie discusses deep involvement in fake life matters and the fact that people may believe the lies they had created and doubt their own true life. The movie shows how confused a person could get when he starts to doubt who he is, and how desperate one can get to find himself an identity even if this identity didn't match his real personality. This movie must be watched!!

I have seen many Egyptian movie, and this one by far is my favorite. The directing is great, the acting and imagery are amazing.

My favorite part is the part where Yehia visits his future wife, who is an architect, in her office. I really liked how the office was decorated, and how she was playing Edith Piaf music in the background.

Another part I liked is the part where he visits some big drug dealer in Old Cairo. The dealer's house has a unique architecture that dates from more than 100 years ago! It's just amazing..

If you haven't seen the movie,

you've missed a lot!

Director Daoud Abdul-Sayed builds his drama on the human being, as he introduces to us Ahmed Zaky in different human faces: He is Yehia, the police officer who is in a secret mission in the underworld of drug dealers and he is also Yehia Abu Daboura, the drug dealer who is living his daily life as an outlaw. These different and contradicting roles of one man helped in enriching the drama in this movie.In between, you will meet another major role: Adam, the mail man who used to get the messages or secret reports from Yehia, assuming that he is reporting to his higher officers. Adam is like the person in the middle between Yehia the police officer and Yehia the drug dealer. Yehia tells us during the movie that he/ or the drug dealer became a wealthy man. Still "I made love, without feeling love", he said. When he comments on his divorce from Rabab, he says "I did not have children from her in purpose...my relationship with having kids embodied my double life". "I wanted Yehia the police officer who governs people to have kids, not Yehia the drug dealer" he said. Yehia's relationship with Farida, the engineer whom he first saw in an elevator, is more complicated. He loves her, but their marriage fails. However, she returns to him by the end of the movie, while he becomes a father of a little boy from a strange marriage from the simple woman, Hanaa. It is a movie which will take you to a new adventure, which was well written and directed by Abdul-Sayed with a notable performance from Ahmed Zaky and the new actress Farah. Not to forget the impact of Rageh Daoud's music on this must see movie.

A great movie. A blockbuster of all time. This film was nominated to the Academy Awards (Oscar), but it didn't make it to the shortlist because the raw film was UNFORTUNATELY so poor.

However, Daoud Abdulsayed is a great director and he keeps on astonishing me every time he gives us a masterpiece. In this movie, which is a superb work on philosophy, Abdulsayed reviews the story of humanity as it was told in the three main religions in a simple yet admirable way, benefiting from the great performance of the great Ahmed Zaki.

The movie is full of symbolism, from using Adam as a code name for the undercover agent Yehia El Manqabadi, to Moses (the senior officer receiving his letters, then meeting him in the mosque). Also, you'll note Adam eating the Apple, while listening to his commander's orders regarding his mission, and the abstract that Yehia must die to give all the others the chance to live, with all its intersection with the tale of Jesus.

You'll never solve all the symbols in this movie, but you'll enjoy it, whether you like brain teasing or you just want to see an action movie.

This is a MUST-SEE film.

Directed by Daoud Abdel Sayed, Land of Fear is a haunting psychological journey that transcends the boundaries of conventional crime cinema. Instead of relying on typical plot twists, the film immerses you in a slow-burning existential spiral led by a masterful performance from Ahmed Zaki.

This isn't a film about action or resolution - it's about identity, morality, and the thin line between duty and personal decay. The visuals are poetic, the music is thoughtful, and every frame feels like a step deeper into the protagonist's fractured reality.

It's bold, philosophical, and deeply human. Land of Fear doesn't just tell a story - it challenges your understanding of what cinema can be.

My Rating: 8/10.