Al-irhab wal kabab

One of the best Egyptian movies . Also one of Adel Imam best movies . A black comedy very close to reality.

a complete outstanding Egyptian triumph, which desserve's dozens of awards!!! a contraveursal script from the brave wahid hamed. magnificent performances. a classic black political comedy that would make you laugh to tears. it has to be set on DVDs & sold internationally. *****

This is one of Imam's greatest and daring films! I think it's his blockbuster of the 90s! It's facing the wrong doings and negatives of the Egyptian government in a comedian/drama directed by the brilliant Sherif Arafa and written by Waheed Hamed. The soundtrack is pretty cool too, composed by Modi El-Imam.

This is what I call a good movie!

Terrorism and Barbecue is a masterpiece that reflects the successful collaboration between actor Adel Imam and screenwriter Wahid Hamed in the early 1990's. The plot is about an honest and decent citizen named Ahmed who works two jobs to support his family, cannot buy meat because it's too expensive for lower middle and working class Egyptians and has to use the over packed public transportation every day. He tries to get some documents signed so he could send his two children to a nearby school, but the bureaucratic procedures shock him as he has to make his way through the crowded floors at a government building. In a fit of rage, he fights with a corrupted employee who spends most of his time praying and delaying other people's business. When the security guards interfere, he snatches one of their guns and unintentionally causes a wave of panic within a few seconds. Ahmed becomes a terrorist and holds hostages with the help of four people, a shoe shiner from Upper Egypt escaping from a death sentence, a poor service-soldier, a prostitute played by actress Youssra and a suicidal young man.

This movie is a really great introduction to Egyptian cinema. Many aspects of the movie's humor easily transfer to English audiences. We can all share the frustration with bureaucracy and the humor in stock characters. This movie is an interesting examination of the issues of Egyptian society and modernization. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in contemporary culture in Egypt.