Like Mallaki Iskandiriya, Harb Italia was a breath of fresh air to the Egyptian cinema. It was the first attempt in a long time to make an Egyptian heist/thriller. Like all first attempts, there were pros and cons. Fortunately, The pros were more than the cons in the case of Harb Italia.
I'll begin with the pros:
1- The movie is very entertaining. I never felt bored for one second, although the movie is about 2 hours long. It also has a lot of funny scenes, and I didn't expect that.
2- Unlike many Egyptian movies, Harb Italia doesn't take itself too seriously, there was no "message" behind it. The main aim of the movie was to entertain audiences, and as far as I'm concerned, this aim was achieved.
3- The acting was the best I've seen this summer. Ahmed El Sakka was never better, but it's Khaled Saleh and Khaled Abou El Naga who gave the best performances. They steal every scene they're in. Razan, in her acting debut didn't disappoint.
4- I haven't seen any movies directed by Ahmed Saleh, I even think this is his directing debut. If that's true, then it's a very promising start. I liked the way he chose his angles, and the way the camera moved. The movie also looked great. The filmmakers did a really good job of showing us the beautiful nature of Italy.
5- Khaled Hammad's music was awesome. A great comeback after his absence. It's the best i've heard this summer.
6- This is one of the most thought provoking Egyptian movies i've seen. The filmmakers don't show you all the details, you have to think to completely solve the puzzle.
And now, let's move on to the cons: ( SPOILERS START HERE. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, STOP READING NOW )
1- The movie had too many twists and turns for it's own good. Some of these twists were totally unbelievable. I never believed that Yaseen ( Ahmed El Sakka ) killed Nader's mother ( Sanaa Younis ), he was too good to do that.
2- The movie needed to give background to some characters, like Nadia. We just know she's a lonely drunk who helps Yaseen in his heists. But who is she, and why is she helping him?
3- The " After some days " part was funny the first couple of times, but after that it really got on my nerves.
Prior to the movie's release, I've heard that Harb Italia was a remake of Ocean's Eleven. I can assure you that's not true. OK, there are similarities between the movies, but the 2 plots are different. I felt Harb Italia was closer to Ocean's Twelve than to Ocean's Eleven.
So, I recommend watching Harb Italia, I think it's the best movie this summer.
I'll begin with the pros:
1- The movie is very entertaining. I never felt bored for one second, although the movie is about 2 hours long. It also has a lot of funny scenes, and I didn't expect that.
2- Unlike many Egyptian movies, Harb Italia doesn't take itself too seriously, there was no "message" behind it. The main aim of the movie was to entertain audiences, and as far as I'm concerned, this aim was achieved.
3- The acting was the best I've seen this summer. Ahmed El Sakka was never better, but it's Khaled Saleh and Khaled Abou El Naga who gave the best performances. They steal every scene they're in. Razan, in her acting debut didn't disappoint.
4- I haven't seen any movies directed by Ahmed Saleh, I even think this is his directing debut. If that's true, then it's a very promising start. I liked the way he chose his angles, and the way the camera moved. The movie also looked great. The filmmakers did a really good job of showing us the beautiful nature of Italy.
5- Khaled Hammad's music was awesome. A great comeback after his absence. It's the best i've heard this summer.
6- This is one of the most thought provoking Egyptian movies i've seen. The filmmakers don't show you all the details, you have to think to completely solve the puzzle.
And now, let's move on to the cons: ( SPOILERS START HERE. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, STOP READING NOW )
1- The movie had too many twists and turns for it's own good. Some of these twists were totally unbelievable. I never believed that Yaseen ( Ahmed El Sakka ) killed Nader's mother ( Sanaa Younis ), he was too good to do that.
2- The movie needed to give background to some characters, like Nadia. We just know she's a lonely drunk who helps Yaseen in his heists. But who is she, and why is she helping him?
3- The " After some days " part was funny the first couple of times, but after that it really got on my nerves.
Prior to the movie's release, I've heard that Harb Italia was a remake of Ocean's Eleven. I can assure you that's not true. OK, there are similarities between the movies, but the 2 plots are different. I felt Harb Italia was closer to Ocean's Twelve than to Ocean's Eleven.
So, I recommend watching Harb Italia, I think it's the best movie this summer.
