The Nile Hilton Incident

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

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 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.

"Chinatown" it isn't, though hardly a film can be blamed for not getting close to the archetype, still this is the fountain it draws from. There is a sense of impending doom to it, an urgent cry for some kind political change; unfortunately though, it somehow lacks in editing sharpness while, more importantly, suffering from some kind of belief that the Egyptian revolution would make things better. Yet, I must admit, that its historical naivete is overthrown by its imprinted fatalism and the humanity in Fares presence.

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