Born in Sweden, with an Egyptian father, Tarik Saleh, the screenwriter and director of Eagles of the Republic, is known for his films that are critical of Egyptian authorities, including Cairo Conspiracy.
Eagles of the Republic is Saleh’s most radical critique yet. Fares Fares, a Saleh regular, plays George Fahmy, Egypt’s most popular actor. He is known as the “Pharoah of the Screen.” He lives a good, rich, privileged life that includes having sexual relations with beautiful young women. He hates the regime of dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi because every scene of each of his films has to be approved by government censors. But when he is overheard speaking disparagingly of el-Sisi’s government, he finds that his career is halted. His agent, Fawzy (Ahmed Khairy) explains that the government wants him to play el-Sisi in a fictional propaganda film. George is outraged and refuses…until Fawzy clarifies that the government is not asking him to play the part, they are ordering him to do so. To make sure George understands, they threaten the life of his son.
George has no choice but to accept. When he protests that he, who is tall, looks nothing like el-Sisi, who is short, Fawzy explains to him that the authorities want audiences to see George, not the dictator. The production is watched over by a scary el-Sisi assistant, Dr, Mansour (Amr Waked), who orders George to portray el-Sisi in the best possible light. The film emphasizes el-Sisi’s role in a 2013 military coup that overthrew an elected government.
To fully appreciate how radical Eagles of the Republic is, it is worth understanding that Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is a real person, He did take power in a violent coup in 2013, and he is still in power.
The film does have its moments of comic relief. When George tries to hide his appearance and goes to a pharmacy to buy Viagra, the pharmacist immediately recognizes him and asks to have a selfie taken. When George says, “It’s not for me,” the pharmacist responds, “That’s what they all say,” and he recommends switching to Cialis.
George is pushed deeper and deeper into the regime’s inner circle. This allows him to force the release of a young neighbor who had been arrested for appearing to be anti-government. But it also means he is photographed with repulsive officials, such as the minister of defense. People close to George begin to be murdered. Eventually he learns that the regime has manipulated him in ways he could not have imagined.
