Cairo Conspiracy

Incredible movie, even though it's set in Egypt in the context of the most esteemed Islamic university in the world, the themes are globally relevant. It gives an experience of the potential corruption of religious groups by government & ulterior interests in order to influence the population. It gives an insight in to the motivations from multiple sides of the struggle for power & holds a mirror up to the human condiiton. There's also themes of ethical choices, family, sacrifice, exploitation, hope & human nature. Great acting, suspenseful & visually intimate. Is religion the illegal arm of the government? Can you structure a centralised institution in a way that it won't be corrupted? What are the aims of the government, the religous organisation & the individual? A bold, daring, thought provoking philosophical film.

The movie is representative of ISIS and Muslim Brotherhood. There is no single Egyptian actor in the movie, which is promoting fanaticism whilst inferring Islamic radicalism is a consequence of Egyptian regime. Europe has suffered from Radical Islam yet they allow funding, viewing and support of this rubbish. The movie is depressive primarily to ensure the watcher sympathises with the ISIS and Muslim brotherhood. The blind Sheikh was shown as a great leader, honest and representative of Islam, while he is actually a representation of terrorism and repression. By all means feel free to watch this movie, but please ensure you THINK about what you are seeing and maybe you'll see YOU are the victim being manipulated.

Most of the film, set predominantly in Istanbul's Süleymanye mosque, artfully substitutes for Cairo. Saleh weaves a complex narrative, drawing inspiration from his personal experience with censorship after The Nile Hilton Incident (2017). Cairo Conspiracy offers a profound glimpse into contemporary Egypt, encompassing its vibrant cultural traditions and turbulent political climate. It captivated audiences at its premiere in Cannes in 2022, garnering exceptional acclaim and securing Sweden's official Best International Feature Film submission. Addressing themes of faith, betrayal, and power struggles within Egyptian society through the eyes of an innocent protagonist, this film provides substantial material for those seeking thought-provoking content. Cairo Conspiracy delivers a captivating storyline complemented by outstanding performances, catering to viewers' interests in Egypt's current affairs or broader issues across the Middle East. While not without imperfections, its ability to tackle significant themes renders it a valuable contribution to the realm of cinema.

Everybody has their own beliefs. Mines, to put them simple, are, one, I've been presented zero evidence of god, therefore I don't believe in any; and two, religions, all of them, are man-made. More on the latter: they are also, positively, instruments of control. Small groups of humans trying and succeeding in controlling larger groups. From all of them, Islam is the most combative. The most dangerous. And for some reason, here in Europe, Swedish are amongst the few people that have the guts to open real conversations, call it out, speak the truth, make some questions. So watching this, which is also a very decent piece of Noir cinema without stopping being convincing, and also well played, was a real pleasure.

This movie totally surprised me of how good it was. I had virtually no expectations for the movie. I didn't read any reviews or haven't seen any trailers about the movie. I actually went to see it because the title sounded interesting and other movies about Muslim world recently has been really good. Such as Holy Spider and Ballad of a White Cow. I'm really happy I went to see this because it was actually all I wanted from a movie. Captivating and holds from beginning to the end so that you don't think anything else. You just want to see what's going to happen next. I really don't know how much the movie reflects reality in Egypt. And doesn't even matter. I learned something new about Muslim world and the movie was super interesting to follow.

Young fisherman "Adam" (Tawfeek Barhom) receives a letter that is going to change his life. He has been accepted into the prestigious Al-Azhar University and after an emotional farewell with his family he sets off to the hubbub of Cairo. Simultaneously, the Grand Imam dies. This is a very important event for the Sunni community, but it is also an highly significant one for the government too. The President makes it known through his National Security agency whom he wants to succeed to the role. To ensure that the election delivers the required outcome, the rather dishevelled looking "Col. Ibrahim" (Fares Fares) is drafted in. Now he already has an "angel" working for him at the school, but when "Zizo" (Mehdi Dehbi) is found slaughtered in the forecourt, the Colonel must find a new informant - and he alights on the young and impressionable "Adam" - using an intriguingly effective carrot and stick combination of threats and promises. The rest of the film follows the rather perilous path the young scholar must take if he is to facilitate his puppet-master whilst protecting his family from their revenge should he fail - and staying safe from his colleagues who have their own form of sedition on their minds. What we have here is quite a plausible and at times effectively menacing look at just how easily the organs of the state can manipulate, or cause to be manipulated, the most public and seemingly inscrutable of processes. Indeed, after a short while there is a rather depressing inevitability to the whole election procedure! The actual story is not the best. There are a few things that remain unexplained - much of the activities of the honourable "Blind Sheikh" (Makram Khoury), for example, are largely undercooked; and there are one or two scenarios that end just too briefly and conveniently. At one stage I thought it was heading for a really tough and brutal ending - and that would have worked better for me than the one we are offered - but see what you think about that. This is a well written, paced and dark political drama that challenges the status quo and leaves a rather bitter taste in the mouth. The two leading actors are on good form and the film is certainly thought-provoking. The location architecture is glorious too!

I like it when films shake the foundations of real life supremacy, this film is one of them. The subject matter is a hot topic and a very controversial one, which is why Tarik Saleh, the filmmaker, is persona non grata in Egypt, and the film was shot in Turkey although it is meant to portray the Azhar Mosque. This is the story of Adam, the son of a fisherman who gets a letter of approval from the Azhar mosque to join their ranks, coincidentally the Imam. Trouble is brewing in the heels of appointing the next Imam! This is a well made film with a well-made screenplay and memorable performances from the lead actor.

When the elderly Grand Imam of Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar University passes away suddenly, a scramble ensues over the appointment of his replacement, one that involves the maneuverings of various vested interests from religious fundamentalists to political pragmatists to devoutly spiritual purists. But who will ultimately take over? That depends on the efforts of a young new student who becomes caught up in this power struggle, the pious son of a fisherman who's unwittingly recruited as a state security informant to infiltrate a group of academic ideological extremists. This slowburn thriller (sometimes a little too slow for its own good, especially in the middle) draws on this scenario to examine the diverse dynamics of Egyptian politics and religion, especially the often-tenuous relationship between the two, as played out through the internal (though publicly high-profile) workings of this long-established, well-respected educational institution. Writer-director Tarek Saleh's latest is a finely acted, capably made production (a noteworthy accomplishment given that the controversial filmmaker's work had to be shot outside of Egypt), though it occasionally lacks the gripping tension needed to give the picture's narrative the kind of dramatic heft that an offering like this requires, especially considering the high stakes involved in this story. While this Cannes Film Festival award winner for best screenplay is a work of fiction and said to poignantly reflect the prevailing conditions found in these institutions, the script, pacing and overall tone could have stood to be less subtle and more pointedly compelling. Indeed, "Cairo Conspiracy" is a suitably attention-holding watch with a solid underlying premise, but it would have been better if it had been a little less conventional and wielded a more pronounced edge.

This movie is a picture of the state's entanglement in religious strata. For sure it isn't present only in ranks of Islam, but also in the other religions and media usually shows the other picture to the masses, but hide the truth. Here we see the fanatical corners of Islam and how an innocent person, in thoughts that he is giving a help and support for a good matter, falls too deep into something about which he has no idea, cause he learned something else. However, you can see a good filmmaking with all those obstacles and traps one thriller should have followed with amazing cast, where the actor(Barhom) of the main protagonist gives us a big enigma at the end.

The movie is terrible. Starting from the scenery: 1. The first scene of a dinner table, no family in that level eats on a high table. 2. Then an extremely forced "parent hitting kids" scene with no dramatic need. 3. The the tourism bus to Cairo!! To the bigger things: 1. The extremely exaggerated image of muslims brotherhood. I hate them, but no, they are not violent or bad mannered. 2. In Azhar and only 5 boys are praying Fajr? That's how you find out who belongs to a "terrorist group"? LOL! 3. the extremely oversimplified view of the government intelligence. I've seen better representations in YouTube sketches, let a lone a movie with such production. 4. Actors with non native accents, they speak like foreigners. Very bad conversations in general and too many empty sentences. 5. The boy who is the main character, he looks indeed like a villager, that's the only good thing. But he has zero charisma. His arguments that made such bigger people in high positions be convinced were so empty and vain. This movie makers had almost zero effort to make it real and representative. It's basically based on Egyptian liftests social media posts and chit chat claims.