The Asphalt Kings

A raucous and amazingly irreverent look at contemporary Cairo, THE ASPHALT KING centers on Sayed, a swaggering cabdriver and (to his mind) born womanizer. Embroiled in a torrid affair with a buxom neighbor, Sayed pays his best friend Ringo to keep the neighbor's barber husband busy -- but the husband, as well as Ringo, Sayed's mother, father, sister and grandfather, have their own amorous intrigues brewing. Director Oussama Fawzi has been hailed as the brightest young director to have recently emerged in Egyptian cinema.

Directed by Osama Fawzy, The Asphalt Kings leans on a strong ensemble — Mahmoud Hemida, Abdullah Mahmoud, Salwa Khattab — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about action titles of 1996.