Eagles Of The Republic , directed by Swedish-Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh, is positioned as the final chapter of his loosely connected Cairo Trilogy. Following earlier works that explored drug crime and religious corruption in Egypt, this film takes on the country’s current authoritarian political climate.
At its core is George Fahmy (Fares Fares), an Egyptian movie star who is coerced into starring in a state propaganda biopic glorifying President El-Sisi. This setup offers a provocative look at the intersection of celebrity, art, and autocracy.
Saleh’s personal background, living in Sweden but rooted in Egyptian realities, allows him the freedom to be more forthright in dissecting the murky relationship between Egyptian political power and the film industry.
The film initially balances satire and dark humor as George navigates the surreal and dangerous world of propaganda filmmaking. His character’s reluctant transformation from defiant actor to a pawn in the regime’s narrative reflects the broader tension faced by artists in oppressive states.
Critics highlight the film’s promising start, praising its cultural authenticity, style, and commentary on political spectacle. The satire of George’s inflated ego and the caricature-like portrayal of El-Sisi initially create compelling tension.
Tarik Saleh’s direction effectively builds atmosphere with strong camerawork and sound design, underplaying propaganda with subtle yet invasive political pressure. Yet, as the narrative progresses, the satire’s sharpness blunts, and the film struggles to maintain coherence and energy.
Lost in Plot: Narrative Fissures Cloud the Message
While the premise hooks viewers with its topicality and unique meta approach, showing the making of propaganda inside a dictatorship, the plot falls into a confusing spiral midway.
After George agrees to a loyalty speech amid a military parade honoring war dead, a poorly developed coup attempt triggers chaos, dragging the film into murky waters. Rather than clarifying the stakes or deepening political insight, the story becomes convoluted, undermining viewer engagement.
Several reviews cite this as a critical weakness. Key moments seem unearned or under-explained, and character arcs beyond George are underdeveloped. This weakens the film’s emotional and political impact, with many characters feeling more like symbols than flesh-and-blood people.
Eagles Of The Republic (Credit: Memento Production)
The tension intended to underscore the dangers of compliance with tyranny dissipates into a series of narrative puzzles that don’t quite fit together. Editing choices also contribute to pacing issues, and attempts at humor sometimes jar with the gravity of the subject matter.
Nevertheless, the lead performance by Fares Fares remains a highlight. His portrayal navigates George’s arrogance, vulnerability, and increasing entrapment with nuance, bringing humanity to a story that risks becoming a cold political allegory.
Scenes blending dark comedy with stark political reality, such as a pharmacy visit where George is teased about Viagra, add layers of irony, balancing the film’s bleakness. Saleh’s attempt to fuse thriller elements with biting political critique is ambitious, if not fully realized.
When Art Meets Power: Reflections on Propaganda and Resistance
Eagles of the Republic functions as a thought-provoking exploration of how autocratic regimes manipulate art and artists to maintain control.
George’s reluctant participation in the propaganda film captures the false hope many creatives face under dictatorships: the illusion of influence versus the reality of coercion. For artists in such regimes, freedom is an elusive concept, shaped more by survival than creative expression.
The film also highlights the personal cost of involvement with corrupt power. George’s affair with a senior politician’s wife and his gradual entanglement with intelligence agencies symbolize the maze of control and surveillance engulfing dissent.
Saleh’s narrative warns that even fame and popularity cannot shield one from the ruthless mechanisms of authoritarian control.
Despite its flaws, Eagles of the Republic shines brightest when reflecting these dynamics, especially in its final act, where tension peaks and consequences become unavoidable.
Saleh’s film suggests solidarity in community and personal relationships, instead of appealing to oppressive states, as a source of resilience. This message, rooted in the current Egyptian political context, resonates far beyond its cinematic setting.
Eagles of the Republic is an uneven but provocative film that offers a fresh angle on political cinema by focusing on the blurred lines between art and propaganda under dictatorship. It raises urgent questions about complicity, power, and survival in repressive environments, though its storytelling struggles to match its ambition.
For watchers interested in politically conscious cinema with a thriller edge, this film provides enough to stimulate discussion even if it falls short of complete narrative satisfaction.
The film premiered at TIFF 2025 and has sparked debate for its daring approach and mixed execution. As Tarik Saleh wraps up his Cairo Trilogy, it confirms his distinctive voice in contemporary political cinema, bold, incisive, yet imperfect in balancing story and theme.
Recent action releases love to trade on old-school nostalgia, but very few feel as clunkily stuck in the past as ‘The Wrecker’.
Billed as a throwback showcase with blockbuster talent like Tyrese Gibson and Harvey Keitel, the film also features Niko Foster and Danny Trejo, names that should conjure images of pulse-pounding entertainment.
Instead, what unfolds is an unintentionally hilarious patchwork of dated tropes, derivative plotlines, and performances that vacillate between wooden and bewildered.
The sheer familiarity of the premise hits in the opening could-have-been-film-school reenactment: Keitel’s gravel-throated kingpin rages over “family” while a battered captive tries to keep his cool in a nondescript warehouse.
Foster’s protagonist, Tony, a dishonorably discharged Marine-turned-mechanic, is dragged back into the criminal underworld after his reckless brother steals from the wrong people.
It should be the kind of lean, muscular setup that powers beloved genre fare like ‘Road House’ or ‘Stone Cold,’ but the derivative script draws so heavily (and lazily) on these sources that the results are mechanical rather than meta or affectionate.
The direction by Art Camacho, himself a former stuntman, doesn’t bring dynamism to the sequences audiences expect from an action flick. Instead, reviewers have noted a surprising lack of visual flair.
Car chases that should send adrenaline spiking are repetitive, sapped of suspense, and curiously lacking in actual vehicular mayhem. Whether on the streets or in hand-to-hand brawls, the camera frequently loses track of the geography and energy, denying the movie any sense of danger or momentum.
As for the acting, even such hard-boiled talents as Gibson and Keitel appear lost, moving through scenes with all the investment of performers ticking a contractual box.
Many viewers have found themselves wondering if the stars consider the film a joke at their own expense or if everyone involved really thinks this is cutting-edge action storytelling. Neither outcome is flattering.
How ‘The Wrecker’ Became a Case Study in Style Over Substance
This reliance on old tropes extends to every technical corner of the project.
The film’s dialogue tries to lift the story with muscle and bravado, but it slips straight into parody territory, especially when Foster, wielding a comically outsized monkey wrench, guides the action with painfully earnest, sometimes stilted monologues.
The Wrecker (Credit: Al Bravo Films)
Even attempts at emotional resonance, such as Tony’s tragic past or his strained relationship with his brother, fall flat under the weight of awkward flashbacks and unconvincing performances.
Technical missteps pile up fast. Editing is called out by critics as distractingly choppy, sometimes undercutting moments that should land with impact. Action set pieces that might work as satisfying payoffs are dampened by an abundance of poorly framed shots and muddled continuity errors.
For those expecting explosive practical effects or at least a truck-flipping spectacle worthy of the film’s title, disappointment is guaranteed. Weak CGI and anticlimactic resolutions have viewers scratching their heads about where the creative effort went.
On the business side, ‘ The Wrecker’ landed a rare theatrical release for its budget class, but that did little to boost its critical reputation or box office numbers.
Posts across social media and early box office tallies suggest interest fizzled after the first weekend, despite attempts to stir excitement by spotlighting its star-studded cast. Many fans of B-movie camp found the movie neither outrageous enough to become a “so-bad-it’s-good” sensation nor competently made enough to earn sincere respect.
Critics and Audiences: Complete Consensus, No Divided Camps
Very rarely does a mainstream release garner as much critical unity as ‘The Wrecker.’ Reputable outlets like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and ScreenRant have collectively described the film as a bland, visually flat, and weirdly humorless project that mistakes mere mimicry for tribute.
IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes are peppered with reviews echoing the same notes of confusion and irritation, alongside a sprinkling of sarcastic appreciation from viewers who couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Unlike other recent “throwback” hits that wink at the audience or deconstruct their influences, this movie’s adherence to formula feels more compulsory than affectionate.
Some critics have gone so far as to suggest the screenplay could have been algorithmically generated, cobbling together plot points and characters so generic that audiences are left actively searching for traces of originality or intentional self-parody.
Industry commentators point to ‘The Wrecker’ as a cautionary tale. The formula of drumming up interest with legacy stars and well-worn genre blueprints only works if the result demonstrates genuine passion or invention.
The movie’s fate at the box office and in the meme-verse offers a stark reminder that there’s no meaningful nostalgia without real heart or craft.
