Transit Prisoner

Sandra Nashaat's 2008 Egyptian film follows a thief skilled at opening safes. Ali is held responsible for the death of a security guard and sentenced to life; an officer he meets inside brings him another offer. The premise is forced cooperation. Ali agrees to work for the state to have his sentence reduced; the narrative questions whether that is really a choice and shows each side using the other. Ahmed Ezz leads with Nour El-Sherif as the officer. The action sequences take wide space and the production was considered expensive for Egyptian cinema at the time. The narrative stays inside the genre form. Who it's for: those who like Egyptian action thrillers. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a realistic crime narrative; the film bends its plot in favour of pace.