‘Eagles of the Republic’ Review: Behind the Scenes of an Empty, Dull Propaganda Film [C-] TIFF

If a propaganda film is dull, does it make a sound?

Probably not, since the whole point of propaganda is to influence perception, which requires some interest to ignite the flame. For the more skeptical, Eagles of the Republic, which had its North American premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, seeks a more definitive answer. The film centers on George Fahmy (Fares Fares), a popular Egyptian movie star who finds himself corralled into a film that celebrates the origin story of Egypt’s president, a staunch, religious traditionalist. George is none of those things, flaunting his wealth and influence, and having an affair with a younger aspiring actress. He balks at the project, but the government essentially blackmails him into it with reasonably veiled threats. As he goes through the process of filming, he realizes just how little power he holds in the grand scheme of Egyptian life.

Therein lies the first, and possibly the most damaging, problem with Eagles of the Republic. Filmmaker Tarik Saleh doesn’t convey any urgency or danger in George’s dealings with the government or the production. The script certainly offers hints of government pressure for George to do the film: strange people will watch him while he’s dining with family, film deals suddenly vanish, and costars are harangued into informing on him. However, Saleh doesn’t offer any directorial cues that these are circumstances that should evoke anything beyond a curious head tilt. It’s odd because the film insists that the Egyptian government is nearly omniscient. That isn’t hard to believe, but the film doesn’t insist or even suggest that it’s something for George to fear as much as tolerate for the time being.

The sense of limited stakes continues as George embarks on his propaganda production. He quickly realizes that the government is laundering their leader’s reputation through his screen persona, forgoing the planned hair, makeup, and prosthetics so that George and the president look the same. The government also has notes on George’s performance, rejecting his outsized interpretation of the president. Obviously, George rejects the criticisms, throwing around his importance to Egyptian culture. But, as Dr. Mansour coolly informs him, that importance is irrelevant to how the government views the performance, and him in general. The confrontation is meant to be a bone-chilling reinforcement of how far George is out of his depth, but the scene lacks tension and menace, despite Fares Fares and Amr Waked’s best efforts.

The arrival of Suzanne, the Oxford-educated wife of the General, adds a much-needed jolt of unpredictability. She speaks her mind without fear of repercussions, going as far as to mock Arab men for their need to change William Shakespeare’s ethnicity to match their nationalist perspective. For the first time, risk enters Eagles of the Republic and, if not exciting, it’s at least compelling. Unfortunately, the jolt vanishes, as Saleh bounces between other moments that try and fail to demonstrate the breadth of the president’s influence and the limits of George’s. When he returns to George and Suzanne, Saleh misses key beats of their affair, including what exactly intrigues them about each other. When George insists that he’s falling for Suzanne, you can’t help but ask, “When?”

To his credit, Fares Fares does try to overcome Eagles of the Republic’s struggles to convey any real, affecting consequences. You see in his eyes and posture over the course of the film that George’s tenuous standing wears him down. He’s particularly good at conveying it in silence, watching and assessing as the government officials run roughshod over him. He’s fine in the final act as well, when the film starts dialing up the temperature and rattles George with a series of meant-to-be-shocking moments that demonstrate the true ruthlessness of the Egyptian government. Fares ensures you see how overwhelmed George is by the excesses done in the president’s name, especially when they hit close to home. Sadly, you don’t feel them, because they frankly come too late.

Eagles of the Republic aims to convey the suffocating power of authoritarian regimes, illustrating that no opposing forces, not even movie stardom, can overpower it. It says and shows all the right things, but Tarik Saleh imbues them with little energy. It leaves the film feeling trite instead of terrifying, and staid instead of suspenseful. Ironically, the film’s unintended message feels especially poignant right now, as nations all over the world flirt with authoritarianism. If you make a poor propaganda film, it won’t make the kind of impact that we should all fear. Let us all hope that these governments follow fictional Egypt’s example.

Grade: C-

This review is from the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival where Eagles of the Republic had its North American premiere. There is no U.S. distribution at this time.