The Nile Hilton Incident

Set in Cairo but mostly shot in Casablanca, The Nile Hilton Incident is a noir police procedural written and directed by Egyptian born Tarik Saleh.

Q: How does a corrupt police force investigate crime?

A: They chase the money.

Police detective Major Noredin is assigned by his boss (and uncle) to investigate the murder of a very beautiful young woman in a room at the Nile Hilton. The investigation quickly leads to the top of Egyptian society and Noredin soon gets told that the case is closed. But, whether it is curiosity or the scent of opportunity, he keeps investigating. Meanwhile the only witness (a Sudanese hotel maid) is trying to keep one step ahead of the bad guys (police included). It is 2011 and on TV screens there are protests elsewhere in Cairo.

The almost chain smoking Noredin is an anti-hero, with only residual professionalism as a policeman, he pockets a wad of cash from the victim's handbag but also follows up on a photo processing slip he pockets at the same time. The Nile Hilton Incident includes most of the noir elements usually associate with America: corruption, the baddest guys usually win, a night club, a femme fatale, smoking, fatalistic behaviour, the veiled threats, and sudden reversals. The missing element is the dark rain swept streets.

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Made with Swedish, Danish and German money and only partly filmed in Cairo. It is vaguely based on the murder of Suzanne Tamim. I don't think that The Nile Hilton Incident will get shown in Egypt because of the negative depiction of the Egyptian police and government and the sex scene.

Ian's rating 4/5 Anne's rating 2/5