Le Caire Confidentiel

Movie about a corrupt cop who tries to solve a murder to a songstress in Cairo (Egypt) and gets deeper and deeper into the crooked administration of the government.

This is one of the best cop films of recent times.

It's really great to have a seldom seen location for crime. I think many are fed up with New York, L. A., San Francisco, Chicago ... .

The acting of the disillusioned cop is very good.

The film score is unobtrusive and doesn't push to the fore.

Cinematography is awesome. There are cool drives through nightly Cairo.

The movie is at the same level like other great films about corruption e.g. Chinatown or Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara).

Egyptian film star Fares Fares is the beleaguered police detective trying to solve the murder of a prostitute at the Nile Hilton, but encounters nothing but roadblocks and misdirection, some laid by his own superiors. In Egypt, they apparently frown on attempts to solve crimes committed by top government figures. And to get information or to get out of trouble, everything has a price. Money is always changing hands. The viewer wonders if the detective will ever get the chance to find the killer.

Sounds like an interesting murder mystery, but truth be told, it's not as exciting or mysterious as it could be. Director Tarik Saleh tries mightily but his efforts come up short. "The Nile Hilton Incident" is heavy on atmosphere but lacks clarity to hold the audience's interest. Corruption, graft and bribery abound and the bleak, washed out color photography is in keeping with the squalid streets of the Egyptian cities and the moral underpinnings of local officials. The 'perp' is known early on but his identity gets lost the muddled mix of names and titles of all the government employees involved. And, without giving it away, noir fans are used to a more satisfying resolution of matters than Director Saleh has afforded us.

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.

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.

This movie does a very good job of showing a realistic view of modern day Egypt.

Corruption permeates everywhere. It is a way of life, especially among government employees under the regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Police Commander Noredin is corrupt and at a low point in his life: he works, collects bribes, browses facebook at an internet cafe, heads home and watches tv while drinking a beer and smoking a joint. He then goes to sleep for the cycle to repeat. Noredin's wife and child had been killed in an auto-crash and is it heavily alluded to that he got his job thanks to police General Kammal, his uncle. He helps his disabled father but has lost his respect, due to his corruption.

A murder then occurs at the Nile Hilton hotel. Noredin is unable to decide whether to commit to the case or just collect the appropriate bribes and close it. He eventually decides to pursue the case at all costs.

This film touches on many aspects of Egyptian society. From the Sudanese immigrants to the working class, middle class, artisans and elite - we get a perspective of what daily life in Cairo is like.

Being unfamiliar with Egypt, the dialogue was very amusing and fresh. Some of the idioms and digs had me laughing out loud.

I must also give a lot of credit to many of the actors that made this film particularly engaging. Fares Fares plays Noredin very well as we can sense his perspectives and viewpoints clearly. Oddly enough, he reminded me of Harrison Ford in Blade Runner: cold, detached but intrigued nonetheless. Another nod should go to Mari Malek, who plays Salma - the Sudanese murder witness. She really shows the helplessness and vulnerability of an immigrant in her situation.

I highly recommend this film, especially to anyone who like murder-mysteries, film noir or historical dramas as it has shades of all those genres in it.