The Nile Hilton Incident

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.

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.

The synopis, the title n the lead actor Fares were enuff for me to check this film. It is good to see Fares in a leading role after the the Department Q trilogy. In this film Fares is a clean shaven cop, who's obsessed with his side part hair cut, he doesnt hesitate to steal money from a dead person's purse but at the same time he takes care of his old n sick dad. While investigating a murder of a famous singer, he has to face some powerful people n police corruption. This film has all the ingredients of a noir film. The film is set during the Egyptian revolution, starting with the protest against increasing police brutality n corruption.

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.