Fares Fares plays the Pharaoh of the Screen, George Fahmy. He is Egypt’s most popular actor, but he finds himself maneuvered into making a propaganda film for the country’s government. Soon, he finds himself enmeshed in political intrigue, all conducted under the watchful eye of the secretive and menacing, Dr. Mansour (Amr Waked).

Despite disliking the film and its subject, George takes the role, and soon finds himself rubbing elbows with the highest echelon of Egypt’s government, where he finds himself asking for favors to protect friends and neighbors.

But they are using him too, and there is more afoot here than a flag-waving movie.

It’s a slow burn of a political drama with lots of character setup and narratives being introduced. They work, but when the events in the last half hour kick in, I found myself wishing that this part of the film was extended, and made the focus of the tale. There’s a conspiracy at work, assassination attempts, not to mention executions and more. The last half hour rockets along, and this is where the film really shines.

Throughout the narrative Fares is perfectly cast, George is a professional, he knows his job, but now, he’s out of his element. He also has a number of personal issues, and is a bit of a womanizer, something that can definitely be used against him. Especially with such a strict government ruling with religious law.

It’s not as fast-paced as Western audiences may be expecting. It lingers on character and their developments, establishing relations and narratives, but the payoffs when they start kicking in work great.

Eagles of the Republic screens three times next week, all at Scotiabank. You can check it out Friday at 6:30pm, Saturday at 5:45pm and Sunday at 9am.