El-Mamarr

El Mamarr (The Passage) - A Powerful Depiction of Egyptian Resilience - 7/10 Sherif Arafa's "El Mamarr" delivers a compelling and emotionally resonant portrayal of Egypt's challenging period following the 1967 setback, leading up to the War of Attrition. The film effectively captures the initial despair and masterfully transitions it into a story of unwavering determination and sacrifice for the homeland.

Ahmed Ezz shines as Captain Nour, the leader of the 103rd Sa'iqa Battalion, bringing depth and conviction to his heroic role. The supporting cast, including Eyad Nassar and Mohamed Farrag, also deliver strong performances, adding layers to the human drama amidst the backdrop of war.

Arafa's direction is commendable, expertly handling the large ensemble cast and orchestrating the action sequences to create a palpable sense of tension and realism. Omar Khairat's evocative musical score further enhances the film's emotional impact.

While the pacing might feel slightly deliberate at times, and some aspects are simplified for a wider audience, "El Mamarr" stands as a significant cinematic achievement. It's a visually engaging and emotionally impactful film that effectively conveys a powerful message about resilience, unity, and the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity. Recommended for those interested in historical dramas and well-crafted war films.

The movie was awesome i recommend to watch with family and friends it gonna blow you mind ❤

I really wanted this movie to be a good one , according to the huge budget which was about 100 million LE. I expected alot from it but it was very disappointing for me. Very weak story line, fake acting and illogical scenes with ridiculous action . Script was also poor and typical . I watched many Egyptian war movies which were way more better than this one.

Hollywood like movie by Egyptian hands. Peroin every aspect. Sound, effects, decoration, lighting, action, drama... etc. Literally perfect in every single aspect of movie evaluation. Complete 150 minutes you can't turn your head away. Well done.

The Passage was one of the most anticipated films of 2019, the film had so much hype especially because its Egypt's first war film in decades.

The film is not as great as it was anticipated, but it's not bad either.

The acting in the film was good but sometimes it felt a little bit over that it became cliched.

The action packed scenes were executed well, however they weren't the action scenes that you would see in a war film. The film is talking about a mission that was done by a group from the Egyptian Commandos so the film didn't require so much action packed scenes, like a Michael Bay film.

I won't talk about the music because Omar Khairat which means it was obviously great.

Let's talk about the story, which had so many flaws. There are two sides in a war, the patriotic side and the coward side who was just forced, there wasn't a single character that portrayed the bad side. There's nothing wrong with admitting that the bad side exists, what is really wrong is showing that it doesn't. I read the story of the "Group 39 Fighting" that the film is based on, and the film's main purpose wasn't to show their story but it was to show how much explosions they could make using their story. Also there is always something that bothered me about war films, the target is always "The biggest weapons supply the enemy has", "The biggest war camp in enemy army", etc and the film didn't avoid that cliche at all. Small victories matter too, like the victories this group had accomplished.

I am a little let down because I hoped that this film would change this typical stereo typing about the Military, especially with foreign films not afraid of admitting that, "Dunkirk" is a film about the biggest retreat in the war and they showed it like a victory without any shame because it led to a victory but I still would say that I enjoyed the film.

I would obviously recommend this film, so others could join the debate and also because they would enjoy the film.