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With all the makings of a great thriller, 'Eagles of the Republic' can't quite manage to take off.
The film follows "Pharaoh of the Screen" George Fahmy (Fares Fares), a famous Egyptian actor who finds himself starring in a government propaganda film. Writer-director Tarik Saleh has a confident vision, but his own ideas seem to muddle the final story. While it tries to channel the political thrillers of the past à la Winter Kills or The Manchurian Candidate, but can't capture the same pacing and tension.
Throughout the film, we follow George's rise and fall as he gets caught up in a government conspiracy and slowly loses control over his meticulous image and social control. Rather, things just sort of happen to George. he seems less like a man of authority and more of a spectre, who seemingly floats from scene to scene. From the beginning, his relationships with his son, ex-wife, friends, and girlfriend are apathetic and a side note to his life. While it, like many of the narrative choices, makes sense in theory, these relationships never change or meaningfully impact the course of his character.
What does remain constant is the glamour and refinement of the film. Visually, Saleh keeps everything tight and intentional. While a good bit of technical filmmaking, the aesthetic struggles to match the gritty, political satire it wants to portray. That is, except for a sudden third-act twist. One that foregoes the pacing of the rest of the film and launches the audience into a sudden assault. The main problem with these turns is that they never feel earned. Saleh spends so much time focusing on the study of George that when the story catches up, it's far too jarring to feel truly impactful.
While the passion from Saleh and Fares shines through, "Eagles of the Republic" can't quite keep up with its own concept. For a political satire, the film comes off as too passive, both with the characters and the structure of the story. On a purely basic level, the choices made in the narrative make sense. However, it doesn't know where to take itself and ends up sacrificing its own themes because of it.
The most frustrating part of "Eagles of the Republic" is that it had all the makings of a fantastic film, but struggles to pull everything together.
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