Badal Fa'aid (Replacement)

This summer's Ahamd Ezz movie did not disappoint me though it seemed to have caught quite a bad reputation with the critics. Too bad for them.

Ahmad Ezz improves in this one than the overacting of Masgoon Transit (Transit Prisoner) last summer. His eyes finally show some expression espcially in the scenes of the addict brother. The movie is a simple ploy of the good vs. evil plot using one of the most cliche plot devices; the bad twin vs. good twin device. Now the predictable thing is that this movie would suck. You would think it's too dramatic, too typical, etc. The fact is: It wasn't. It was utterly entertaining. You are on your edge of your seat, you react and feel to the actors, you follow them and you want to see what happens next.

The script is excellently written to allow for confusion, fascination, excellent trick photography, brilliant master scenes and surprisingly well-done acting from the supporting cast. Of the supporting cast, I found Mohammed Lotfy and Menna Shalaby particularly haunting. Menna Shalaby, as always, presents a charcter you sympathize with so smoothly. Her overacting on some scenes is rather annoying, however, as she seems to get out of charcter as smoothly as she gets into it. Her tone of voice and her laugh (one of the most important things I watch for in an actor/actress performance to indicate their variety) do not change as required with every role in every film; she is not, techincally, a method actress. At least not yet.

Mohammed Lotfy however is rather surprising here: His lines are said with confidence and he is subtle enough to convince you of his charcter so much, you really do hate it. His (metaphorical) line, 'I am the devil' was delivered with so much power, it struck harder than many other scenes I've watched on Arabic movies.

The music is perfect and the direction is...well, good enough. The chase scenes were rather boring, to be honest and you kept looking at your watch waiting for them to end.

Rating: 9/10. Good (but not perfect) movie!