A political thriller based on a true story. Weeks before the 2011 Egyptian revolution, Noredin (Fares Fares), a police officer in Cairo's corrupt system, investigates the murder of a famous club singer at the Nile Hilton Hotel. What initially seems to be a crime of passion turns into something that concerns the very power elite of Egypt. Upon realizing this, Noredin decides to break the rules in order to obtain justice, colliding not only with the system but also with himself.
"Incident" isn't completely lost, but it's unfulfilling in many ways, kept out of reach for too long, in need of more dramatic definition and hostility to fully realize its incredible potential.
You can feel the Middle Eastern country's impending wave of frustration, corruption, and paranoia simmering underneath every scene in the film like white noise in the background.
The evocation of that old film noir feeling is hugely effective here: Dad telling his freshly-bribed son "You can't buy dignity," the fantastic slow zoom on a love scene reflected in a two-way mirror, even the beguiling torch singer.