Buying viagra without someone recognising him (under the pretext of also buying Paracetamol), he soon learns, is the least of the problems. When some shady individuals offer him the proposition of being constantly swollen... with patriotic feelings, he realises that his celebrity status is useless

Buying viagra without someone recognising him (under the pretext of also buying Paracetamol), he soon learns, is the least of the problems. When some shady individuals offer him the proposition of being constantly swollen... with patriotic feelings, he realises that his celebrity status is useless

Buying viagra without someone recognising him (under the pretext of also buying Paracetamol), he soon learns, is the least of the problems. When some shady individuals offer him the proposition of being constantly swollen... with patriotic feelings, he realises that his celebrity status is useless

Buying viagra without someone recognising him (under the pretext of also buying Paracetamol), he soon learns, is the least of the problems. When some shady individuals offer him the proposition of being constantly swollen... with patriotic feelings, he realises that his celebrity status is useless when larger, nefarious forces are ruling the country. He is told that he'll be rewarded with all kinds of privileges.

After all, this is a man with many weaknesses. He has an estranged wife, a son, and a thing for dating women his son's age. It was only a matter of time before someone was going to use them to blackmail him to do something: act in a propaganda film that celebrates and glorifies the exploits of sitting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The film is the third (and final) entry in Sweden-based Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh's political thriller trilogy — preceded by "The Nile Hilton Incident" (2017) and "Cairo Conspiracy" (2022) — headlined by actor Fares Fares, who played three different characters in each. The trilogy is bounded thematically rather than narratively. One can draw parallels to what actors like Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonte did in Sergio Leone's 'Dollars' trilogy. Fares' example, I believe, is one-of-a-kind, a first. The Sweden-based Saleh belongs to the same daring league as Jafar Panahi and Mohammed Rasoulof, filmmakers deemed persona non grata for adopting an anti-authoritarian stand in their cinema.

In "Eagles of the Republic", the most chilling and blood-boiling of the three films, Saleh takes on the dictatorial Abdel Fattah el-Sisi without changing the latter's name, and exposes him for who he really is, by having his lead character, George, succumb to the whims and fancies of senior army officers and 'supervisors' who are involved in the film, the el-Sisi biopic, he is supposed to be in. He is asked to play the man without portraying any of his flaws. The real-life figure is bald, but the actor is asked to play him with hair. He is also asked to exercise caution with his dialogues and delivery. Can you imagine making a film like this in India?

"Eagles of the Republic", currently available on rental on Prime Video, comes out at a time when India has seen headlines eerily similar to the events depicted in the film. One man is arrested for saying something against the regime online. Another is kidnapped to make his father change his mind. There are more chilling developments, but I'd rather not give anything away. What makes the whole thing really complex is a protagonist who is not likeable.

Sure, we feel bad for his predicament; we feel bad for the sudden loss of control over his own choices, but he also lacks principles. Can a character have qualities we cannot endorse but also feel angry for what has been done to him? Yes. Should his flaws be used as an excuse to make him a puppet of the regime, which comprises many individuals of dubious reputation — one of whom is in the process of launching a coup? No.

The film has other interesting characters, like George's gay manager, who brings a measure of light humour, almost tilting the film towards satire. This relatively lighter initial tone might confuse some, but it's precisely this creative choice that makes the third act, with its succession of painfully tragic events, more impactful. And the fact that George isn't willing to put up a big fight against all this is another notable writing choice. It recalls the 'paranoia' trilogy of Alan J. Pakula — well, excluding "All the President's Men", that is.

There’s a scene where George gets reminded by an all-women Censor Board that he is expected to… behave… or face consequences. Elsewhere, an actress correcting a bootlicker by telling him that Shakespeare was not originally an Arab.

One of the striking choices is actor Amr Waked playing the venomous government official, Dr Mansour, who supervises every line and scene of George behind the curtain. He makes sure that no tiny mistake should displease his master. The actor’s real-life situation, though, draws a starkly contrasting picture: He faces severe state persecution, including an eight-year prison sentence in absentia, expulsion from his professional union, and passport denial, due to his open criticism of the Egyptian government and el-Sisi.

Waked is said to have actively participated in the 2011 and 2013 revolutions and later used his social media platform to criticise political arrests and human rights abuses in Egypt, following which pro-government media and figures launched intense smear campaigns against him, labelling him a traitor working with foreign agendas. So, it's no surprise to see the actor convincingly become a quietly menacing presence in "Eagles of the Republic". After all, he has first-hand experience. It only needs to be noted that, only last year, Hassan El Sayed, an actor who had a brief role in this film, was arrested for being a part of it.

Film: Eagles of the Republic

Director: Tarik Saleh

Cast: Fares Fares, Zineb Triki, Lyna Khoudri, Amr Waked, Ahmed Khairy

Rating: 4.5/5

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