Turning a strong idea into a weak film takes effort, writes Hani Mustafa Anywhere in the world, a viewer can tell if what he is watching is a film or not a film. There are cinematic mutants claiming to be films, and watching them is painful, but it is equally painful to watch a film that has a powerful premise transformed into a meagre or mawkish production. That is precisely what the case is with Al Wad, written by Wahid Hamed and directed by Mohamed Yassin. In the opening scenes of the film the director presents action scenes of an intriguing nature, but you don't know where they will go. A rich man (Ghassan Massoud) rides a horse; his name, Al Sehrawy, is only revealed much later. But then meet there is a dying man, Yousef (Mahmoud Yassin), bored with his stay in hospital. The parallels add to the air of mystery in the film, especially with the entrance of a well dressed man, Adel (Asser Yassin) - come to visit Yousef in the hospital with a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates. The box actually contains a large sum of money which seems to be severance payment from Sehrawi. The script continues to reveal minimal information, making it gripping and suspenseful within the two-character drama being played out: the elderly cancer patient and the mysterious businessman; through the dialogue, notably between Youssef and Adel (when the former asks the latter to find him a high-altitude burial spot overlooking the sea), we come to understand that they were involved in some kind of shady business - illicit, mafia-like activities. At the same time we are introduced the girl hairdresser who chats up Adel in a café and appears to be trying to seduce him. The script is typical of Hamed's work in that it concerns itself with sectarian issues - Hamed was sued for his television series Awan El Ward (Flower Time), which came out in the wake of an infamous Upper Egypt instance of sectarian strife and in which the main character is a Muslim police officer who marries a half-Christian woman. Hamed was already taking risks as the seris had come out just after a famous incident of sectarian violence in Upper Egypt. Hence Youssef's religious identity, which is uncovered in a more interesting way since it is not revealed until the burial arrangements are made; Yassin's remarkable performance lends a comic twist to this part of the film. In his journey to find the coffin, Adel meets Girgis (Ahmed Azmy). It is here that a potentially strong and coherent drama gives way to a simple, naive and superficial conflict between Adel and Sehrawy, beginning with the latter sending an assassin (a cameo by Bassem Samra). He is thus killed by Sehrawy, not by cancer. Suddenly - without the benefit of the glamorous suspense associated with the best gangster movies - Adel robs LE three million belonging to Youssef to avenge his fate. There are no surprises or interest in the operation or the escape to Morocco, nor is the kidnapping of Sehrawy's horse, Al Yamama, orchestrated to imply - as it should - the importance of the horse to the mafioso, who is apparently ready to kill his assistance to keep it. Despite his best efforts, Yassin is unable to spare the film the indignity of becoming sub-average after such a strong beginning: Sehrawy doesn't have a convincing motive for killing Youssef; the acting is mediocre; and though the rising star Asser Yassin is in relative control of his role, he too overacts - shouting where it does not serve the moment during a phone call to Sehrawy from Morocco, after the latter retrieves his money and kills his Moroccan accomplice. "What does he want from me," he shrieks - an illogical question at best. It was a fake moment, and appeared stupid. Massoud is a talented and capable actor but his voice had to be dubbed for the duration of the film, sapping the role of its strength. Miscasting? Perhaps a Syrian with an unavoidable accent should not have played an Egyptian policeman- turned-mafioso. Critics have compared this film favourably to other films of the season, not because of its own superiority but simply because no other film was released at the same time. A season of bad films lowers the bar for critics, but this can affect the industry long-term, since sub- quality films are praised and held up as examples. A level-headed critic who applies standards to the art work would help to raise the ambitions and abilities of the filmmakers and generate a healthier scene.
