Mohamed Ramadan and Mohamed Diab deliver a commendable historical epic with Asad

🎥 Following a three-year absence, Mohamed Ramadan is back on the big screen with Asad — his first collaboration with Moon Knight ’s Mohamed Diab. Written by Mohamed, Sherine, and Khaled Diab, with quite the hefty budget of USD 6 mn, expectations for the film were sky-high from the get-go.

The plot: Asad (Ramadan) is a slave in 19th-century Egypt. When he falls for Layla (Razane Jammal), their romance soon spirals into a clash of classes that puts him in direct confrontation with her father, Mahrous El Refai (Kamel El Basha). Asad then begins leading a widespread revolution against the slave trade system in Egypt, just as the governor of Egypt (Maged El Kedwany) issues a decree abolishing the trade. The beneficiaries of the system, however, won’t let up easily, and obstacles to the decree’s implementation mount. Asad surprisingly finds support from the governor’s son (Ahmed Dash), who backs the uprising… conditionally.

What we liked: The film centers on a pivotal era in Egypt’s modern history, acutely capturing the social and class conflicts of the century, oscillating between political shifts and personal social tragedies, and shining a light on an oft-overlooked chapter of Egyptian history with dramatic flair. As for production quality, Asad delivered and then some. The cinematography was stellar, and the costume design accurately conveyed the era’s true spirit. Hesham Nazih’s score was essentially a protagonist in its own right, adding incredible musical depth to every scene.

Ramadan’s performance took us by pleasant surprise, with the star veering from his usual typecast. While it’s indeed an action-heavy watch, he manages to deliver a layered and mature performance. The rest of the cast showed up and showed out, too, including rising star Mustafa Shehata and Sudanese actor Eman Youssef — who delivered one of the movie’s best performances.

That said, at times, the dramatic structure lacked the necessary cohesion to carry the weight of the film’s central theme. While the events take place in the 19th century, there were some temporal inconsistencies, leaving us slightly confused at times.

Our final verdict: Asad is an ambitious cinematic experience worth watching. Despite some critiques, the team delivered a nearly cohesive cinematic product that retold an important historical era with a clear artistic identity.

WHERE TO WATCH- You can catch Asad at Vox Cinema at City Center Almaza, Mall of Egypt, and Mall of Alexandria, as well as CFC and D5’s Scene Cinema, Cima Arkan, P90 Cinema, and Zawya. Watch the trailer on YouTube (watch, runtime: 1:44).