The Island

Sherif Arafa's 2007 Egyptian film is about the family of Mansour El-Hefny, who controls an island in Upper Egypt. Some police officers facilitate their arms dealing in exchange for information, and corrupt members of parliament use their immunity in the drug trade. Drawing on a real case, the film shows how the line between the state and crime disappears. Ahmed El Saqqa's performance makes the character neither hero nor monster; the man has built an order in his own territory, and it functions better than the state's. Its commercial success started an argument in Egypt about whether making a criminal this attractive amounts to legitimising him. The production values are high and the action sequences are ahead of Egyptian cinema at the time. Who it's for: viewers interested in mainstream Egyptian cinema and films about the relationship between the state and crime. Who it's not for: anyone uncomfortable with the density of the violence, or who will object to a criminal figure being made appealing.