Not quite the police procedural you were expecting; something more. A murder; a shadowy suspect; a hotel maid (a Nigerian illegal) seeing too much, but knowing enough to hide; and a fearless strong-featured chief-detective to look in places he knows he ought to avoid. But, as soon becomes apparent, police procedural is not the game Egyptian-in-exile writer/director Tarik Saleh is playing. Instead, in the first half, a tour of rarely shown back-street Cairo as Detective Fares Fares gets the runaround from likely suspects and constantly comes up against internal police corruption. Not from outliers, but built within the system. Make that especially within the system, where nothing happens without a bribe. And bigger bribes needed to stay safe outside of your precinct where the police are not even friends of the police. Everywhere you turn ‘it’s CHINATOWN,’ so to speak. The second-half, tightens focus onto the specific murder we began with, adds on more death, and sees what happens when Detective Fares, whose honesty is a thing of relative values, finds himself being blackmailed along with some powerful politicians. All of this coming to a head just as the Arab Spring Uprising hits the streets of Cairo. Excellent work here, if perhaps a little confusing for non-locals. But don’t try spotting Cairo landmarks. Saleh had just been exiled and couldn’t shoot in Egypt. You’ll see why. (Did it even open there?) Fares a natural on screen. Think Egyptian Bogart . . . if Boogie only smoked more.
DOUBLE-BILL: Not seen here, but Saleh & Fares latest thriller, CAIRO CONSPIRACY/’22, also forced to shoot abroad in spite of that title, very well received.
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