Le Caire Confidentiel

Fares Fares (born in Lebanon) is a very well known actor in Sweden where he starred in the Department Q series; he has some presence in other countries but sadly not in an important role like the one in The Nile Hilton Incident

Fares is Noredin Mostafa; a very corrupt cop in Egypt in 2011. The first few minutes of the movie shows the small scams the Egyptian police commits until a horrible assassination occurred in the Nile Hilton hotel.

Based on real facts and with the background of the Egyptian revolution in 2011, the movie paced spiraling events keep you tied to the screen until the formidable ending (which has nothing to do with the feel good American endings)

A singer is killed in his room. The killer identity emerges immediately; however the investigation is not important; but the corruption of a system that protects rich and punish lower classes and immigrants (ring a bell ?)

Some events sound like joke but are far from it. It was (or still is) the tragic reality of countries where the political system became the enemy of the people.

In brief; a hard but very necessary movie

The Nile Hilton Incident is a political thriller following a murder at the Nile Hilton Hotel in Cairo during the Egyptian Revolution in January 2011.

The movie pulls off both the political elements as well as the more cinematic mysteriousness without being too much of either.

The acting is first class, especially Fares Fares, who probably smoked enough cigarettes to keep Marlboro in business forever. His character is not only interesting, well written and dynamic, but most of the struggle is internal. It's a very restrained act and he does it perfectly. Fares Fares is a legitimately good physical performer, not just here but in general.

The lack of musical score is an interesting choice. It's only used during big character moments and adds a sense of importance to those scenes.

The Nile Hilton Incident is veritable, competently shot and professionally acted.

About the story line .. it's such important to say this movie describes the egyptian political society so close that i - for a while - thought that Noredin Mostafa is a real character ..

There is a fact that the idea of the main story line is real .. Suzanne Tamim was a charming but not widely known lebanese singer who was found dead in her appartment in Dubai in 2008 .. the investigators in Dubai have known the identity of the killer (Mohsen El Sokkary) who was an ex-cop in state security section (a section known for it's brutal ways in protecting the whole regime and always against the people of Egypt) .. later he confessed the murder after incitement by Hisham Talaat Mostafa who was a close member in the circle around Gamal Mobarak ..both Hisham and Mohsen faced trial in Egyptian court and put in prison for 15 yrs ..

The movie describes the Egyptian society and police corruption very well .. may be the fact is much horrifying .. this was one of the main causes of the glorious egyptian revolution in 2011 ..

The only critic to the film is the sound directory is so weak .. sometimes i found it so hard to hear the dialog ..

A real incident and a fictional movie about it. I did not study the case/incident so I can't tell you anything more than is depicted in the movie. Of course since we get the whole thing from the viewpoint of one police official, there might be some freedom creatively. And you may know the main actor from his role in a swedish crime series. Here he goes back to his native tongue/language, but is as terrific as he is in Swedish.

So while this is a real life drama, it's also a crime thriller. It's quite bleak and it's also quite slow. There is nothing flashy about it and it really does feel like a real story. Our protagonist is not some larger than life superhero cop. He has his flaws and he has his virtues. A really likeable movie, and one where you can really root for someone ... whether the praying is necessary and helps or not is to be seen ... and you should see it

This is my highlight of the year!

Who would have thought, that a random Egyptian movie would be one of my diamonds of 2017. Filmed in Casablanca, as it was not possible to film in Egypt, forbidden to even screen in Egypt... This movie will take you into the deepest corruption of Cairo. Fares Fares, who plays the lead Noredin Mostafa, is a pleasure to watch and you actually feel, like you are in this mess yourself, as the camera work is so brilliant, that you feel like Cairo is all around you.

After seeing the movie, I can understand why Egypt wont let it screen it in their country, as there is way to much dirty stuff that this movie digs up. It is not a story I could personally relate to in any kind of way. I'm not a police man, not in Egypt, but still...this movie grabs you right in and makes you feel restless and worried, because everyone around you tries to play tricks on you, so who can you trust, if no one is trustworthy anymore?

Go into that movie with an open mind, no expectations, just like I did and thank me later.