Corruption is the abuse of power or position for personal gain. There are many forms of corruption, including bribery, embezzlement, and extortion. It seems to be rampant in the government, military, police departments, and businesses around the world as everyone tries to get his or her piece of the pie. In this amoral climate, economic corruption impedes growth, and political corruption undermines good governance.
The Nile Hilton Incident is a tense crime drama written and directed by Tarik Saleh. It is set in Cairo during the days leading up to the 2011 Arab Spring revolution and the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. The slums and dangerous innards of the city provide the milieu for police, gangsters, and governmental officials to pass money from one to another in an underground economy that makes justice nearly impossible to achieve.
Noredin (Ahmed Seleem) is a lonely and weary cop whose shaky career has been guided by Kammal (Yasser Ali Mahner), his uncle who is his superior. Following the murder of a woman at the Nile Hilton, Noredin tracks down Salwa (Mari Malek), a Sudanese girl who works as a cleaner there and is a potential witness. He also is forced to deal with an arrogant and wealthy real-estate developer (Ahmed Seleem) and member of Parliament who enjoys humiliating the cop. Another person who plays a mysterious role in the crime is Gina (Hania Amar), a singer and prostitute. Her charms plunge the lonely cop into waters over his head which far exceed his accepting cash at a crime scene.
Watching Noredin sliding down the slippery slope of corruption is not a pretty picture. Here is yet another film noir where corruption carries the day.