Luke McWilliams gives his review of the thriller film, Cairo Conspiracy, starring Tawfeek Barhom and Fares Fares.

In a quaint seaside fishing village, Adam (Tawfeek Barhom) is accepted at Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar University: the centre of power of Sunni Islam. Adam’s arrival unfortunately coincides with the sudden death of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, setting off a power struggle among the local religious and political leaders, each vying to secure their own interests. Unwittingly, Adam becomes Colonel Ibrahim’s (Fares Fares) latest pawn to help level the playing field.

Drawing inspiration from Umberto Eco’s acclaimed novel, The Name of the Rose (1980), writer-director Tarik Saleh takes a deep dive into the heart of the world’s largest branch of Islam, followed by up to 90 per cent of the global Muslim population. Like Game of Thrones, the devout characters are established, and their positions of power clearly defined, until the dominoes start tumbling following the vacuum left by the departed leader. The intelligent but morally naïve Adam has walked right into a spy-game reminiscent of cold-war spy thrillers like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Good Shepherd. Adam struggles between his faith and his role as an informant: is Adam being manipulated by his state handler, or is this simply his path as laid out by God?

Via Adam, we navigate the enchanting, enigmatic, and ancient world of the university. This foreign land, however, becomes all too familiar as the striking cinematography captures iconic images of murder, escalating the stakes not only for Adam but also for Sunni Islam worldwide.

Verdict: An intriguing and suspenseful homage to classic espionage thrillers. 4.5 stars.

Luke McWilliams, themovieclub.net.