The Nile Hilton Incident (2017)

Directed by: Tarik Saleh | 111 minutes | crime, drama, thriller | Actors: Fares Fares, Mari Malek, Yasser Ali Maher, Slimane Dazi, Ahmed Selim, Mohamed Yousry, Hania Amar, Tareq Abdalla, Nael Ali, Taher Badr, Ger Duany, Emad Ghoniem, Ahmed Abdelhamid Hefny, Ahmed Khairy, Ibrahim Salah, Hichem Yacoubi

History and art often go hand in hand. No ‘Guernica’ without the bombardment, no ‘Odyssey’ without the Trojan War, no ‘Soldier of Orange’ without a soldier of Orange. And no ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’ without the events surrounding Tahrir Square at the end of January 2011. In that square in the heart of Cairo, the Egyptians rose up against the regime of President Mubarak, an uprising that resulted in the resignation of the hated president.

In thriller ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’, the corpse of a singer is found in the Hilton on Tahrirplein during those troubled weeks. Detective Noredin is put on the murder, but before he has even started, the case is closed again due to political sensitivity. The prime suspect is a very wealthy businessman/politician. So inviolable.

But Noredin won’t let go. Soon this lonely policeman finds himself in a wasp’s nest. The next hour and a half he (and the viewer) have to deal with prostitute singers, blackmailers, a Sudanese cleaning woman who witnesses the crime, corrupt fellow cops and a whole series of innocent and slightly less innocent deaths. And in the background it is becoming increasingly restless on Tahrir Square.

The murder and everything that goes with it is not separate from the bigger story. The creators are making sure we understand why Egypt was about to explode. The corruption, the differences between rich and poor, clientelism, state terror, all these problems are reflected in the murder story on a small scale. That murder story itself is not overflowing with originality, but it remains fascinating.

In terms of style, this European co-production is most reminiscent of the realism of modern Romanian arthouse, suffocating by dust and cigarette smoke. So is the portrayal of the corrupt police force, dressed in leather jackets and not unduly interested in solving major crimes. Moreover, we also find here the sickening hierarchical structures.

The strength of ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’ is not in the story, the set or the sultry atmosphere, but in the fusion of the three. The film is bleak, exciting and appeals to the viewer’s intelligence. Little is explained, you have to do your best for that. The reward is an intense viewing experience and a deep gratitude for the society we live in here.