I'm sad to say that about a movie that got many beloved stars. It is another B-rate B-movie; this kind of movies was so common in the Egyptian and Lebanese movies at the late 1960s and the early 1970s. But this round, at least the big cast must have given high hopes; only to disappoint us powerfully!
The script is so trite like something that was made out of many old Egyptian thrillers, but without anything surprising. It lacks even the special moments; the memorable fistfights and one-liners. The actors look pretty old themselves, whether comparing to their own performance in similar movies 20 or 15 years before, to their characters' ages, and to the vitality that their characters needed as well. For instance, Farid Shawqi looks out of shape with ugly black wig this time. Rushdy Abaza looks heavy and unattractive unlike himself in all of his previous movies. And although Hind Rostom was only 39 at the moment, but strangely she seemed older, WAY older!
There are some goofy moments: Seef Alla Mokhtaar is the last one in the world to play undercover cop (it sounds like a perfect parody!), the evil man's lair looks like poor, very very poor's man version of James Bond's sets, the matter of dead Abaza then alive Abaza before minutes of the end was forced and dully interesting, and as an action and thriller, it lacks both badly. It gives the feeling that the cameraman, the editor, and the director weren't less aged rather decrepit!
It got 3 positive points: being shot in colors since watching these stars was something exclusively white and black back then, the fabulous backgrounds of Lebanon, and the explosion of the car near the end.
Finally, personal pain: Farid Shawqi and Rushdy Abaza were 2 cinematic legends, so being in one movie together was an event. Earlier, Abaza took some roles in movies starring Shawqi like (Osta Hassan, El - 1952) and (Gaaluni Mujriman - 1955). Or bigger roles (Port Said - 1957) and (Soultan - 1958). Then nearly equal roles (Wa Islamah - 1962). To sharing the screen as 2 leads, after Abaza made it to stardom, in (Tarik al shaitan - 1963). Then, you would have some things like Abaza doing a memorable cameo in Shawqi's movie (Kelmet Sharf - 1972). Or Shawqi almost doing the same in Abaza's movie (Tohedda - 1976). I just want to say that I've watched all of these movies first, then thought that (Wakr al-ashrar - 1972) could be more good, or something as good, to discover that it is the least important and amusing movie in that entire bunch!
(Wakr al-ashrar) isn't a classic in my book, it's a bad copy of classics.
The script is so trite like something that was made out of many old Egyptian thrillers, but without anything surprising. It lacks even the special moments; the memorable fistfights and one-liners. The actors look pretty old themselves, whether comparing to their own performance in similar movies 20 or 15 years before, to their characters' ages, and to the vitality that their characters needed as well. For instance, Farid Shawqi looks out of shape with ugly black wig this time. Rushdy Abaza looks heavy and unattractive unlike himself in all of his previous movies. And although Hind Rostom was only 39 at the moment, but strangely she seemed older, WAY older!
There are some goofy moments: Seef Alla Mokhtaar is the last one in the world to play undercover cop (it sounds like a perfect parody!), the evil man's lair looks like poor, very very poor's man version of James Bond's sets, the matter of dead Abaza then alive Abaza before minutes of the end was forced and dully interesting, and as an action and thriller, it lacks both badly. It gives the feeling that the cameraman, the editor, and the director weren't less aged rather decrepit!
It got 3 positive points: being shot in colors since watching these stars was something exclusively white and black back then, the fabulous backgrounds of Lebanon, and the explosion of the car near the end.
Finally, personal pain: Farid Shawqi and Rushdy Abaza were 2 cinematic legends, so being in one movie together was an event. Earlier, Abaza took some roles in movies starring Shawqi like (Osta Hassan, El - 1952) and (Gaaluni Mujriman - 1955). Or bigger roles (Port Said - 1957) and (Soultan - 1958). Then nearly equal roles (Wa Islamah - 1962). To sharing the screen as 2 leads, after Abaza made it to stardom, in (Tarik al shaitan - 1963). Then, you would have some things like Abaza doing a memorable cameo in Shawqi's movie (Kelmet Sharf - 1972). Or Shawqi almost doing the same in Abaza's movie (Tohedda - 1976). I just want to say that I've watched all of these movies first, then thought that (Wakr al-ashrar - 1972) could be more good, or something as good, to discover that it is the least important and amusing movie in that entire bunch!
(Wakr al-ashrar) isn't a classic in my book, it's a bad copy of classics.
