Cairo Conspiracy

Name: Cairo Conspiracy
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: January 27, 2023
Duration: 126 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Ahmed Laissaoui, Ayman Fathy, Fares Fares, Hassan El Sayed, Jawad Altawil

2023

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Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: January 27, 2023 | Not Rated

Starring: Ahmed Laissaoui, Ayman Fathy, Fares Fares, Hassan El Sayed, Jawad Altawil, Makram Khoury, Mehdi Dehbi, Mohammed Bakri, Mouloud Ayad, Ramzi Choukair, Sherwan Haji, Tawfeek Barhom, Yunus Albayrak, Zain Alabdin A. Fallatah

Summary: Adam, the son of a fisherman, is offered the ultimate privilege to study at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the epicenter of power of Sunni Islam. Shortly after his arrival in Cairo, the university's highest ranking religious leader, the Grand Imam, suddenly dies and Adam soon becomes a pawn in a ruthless power struggle between Egypt'sAdam, the son of a fisherman, is offered the ultimate privilege to study at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the epicenter of power of Sunni Islam. Shortly after his arrival in Cairo, the university's highest ranking religious leader, the Grand Imam, suddenly dies and Adam soon becomes a pawn in a ruthless power struggle between Egypt's religious and political elite. Sweden's Official Entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.… Expand

Director: Tarik Saleh

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 126 min

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Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist Jihane Bousfiha

May 25, 2022

Saleh’s film works on many different levels because it’s a layered blend of various elements from different genres. He has crafted a spy thriller that succeeds as a coming-of-age narrative and can also be an entertaining film that keeps you captivated up until the final breathtaking moments. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

Feb 7, 2023

It is an engrossing tale, full of betrayal and chicanery, and it casts the Egyptian political-military complex and the religious hierarchy as riddled with corruption. Read full review

Xan Brooks

Apr 16, 2023

Tarik Saleh’s political saga turns progressively knottier and more claustrophobic, almost to a fault. But it’s also horribly tense, richly textured and showcases a terrific supporting performance from Fares as the tale’s shadowy Thomas Cromwell figure. Read full review

Jordan Mintzer

May 25, 2022

It’s a familiar template, and Saleh’s direction can veer toward the heavy-handed in places, but it’s also an intriguingly damning portrait of the corruption currently hitting Egypt on all levels. Read full review

Glenn Kenny

Jan 26, 2023

Cairo Conspiracy is a measured but unsparing portrait of corruption perpetrated by people who, across the board, are utterly confident of their own rectitude. Its denouement offers some mercy, but zero hope that the rot depicted can be corrected. Read full review

Wendy Ide

May 25, 2022

Boy From Heaven is an ambitiously complex story of religious espionage. Read full review

Peter Debruge

May 25, 2022

What we’re dealing with here is a fairly conventional political thriller — think “House of Cards,” minus the sleek David Fincher aesthetic or much in the way of suspense — set in a world no one has dared to explore on screen before now. Read full review

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Brent_Marchant

May 2, 2023

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 spiritualWhen 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.… Expand

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