A Citizen, a Detective and a Thief

A Citizen, a Detective and a Thief

Mowaten wa mokhber wa haramy

2001 · 135 min · ★ 5.7 · Comedy, Music, Drama

Selim, a handsome and successful writer triggers an elaborate chain of events when he visits police headquarters to report his car stolen. There he runs into the bumbling Sergeant Fathy Abdel Ghafour, an old family friend who now works as a detective. When the meddlesome Sergeant Fathy insists on hiring a live-in housekeeper for his old friend, Selim’s life becomes inextricably intertwined with that of his beautiful new housemaid, her thieving husband and the well-meaning detective.

Directed by Daoud Abdel Sayed · Written by Daoud Abdel Sayed

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Cast

Khaled Abol Naga Selim (The Citizen)
Salah Abdallah Fathy (The Detective)
Shaaban Abdel Rahim Margoushy (The Thief)
Hend Sabry Hayat
Rolla Mahmoud Madiha
Menha Zaytoon Hanoma
Ramy Makram Wael
Tariq Abu Al Saud The Narrator
Ahmed Kamal Magdy
Hassan Kofta
Nour Qadri

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

4h 29m together

A Citizen, a Detective and a Thief

Land of Fear

Both from Daoud Abdel Sayed.

More from Daoud Abdel SayedSee all →

The Joy thief

The Joy thief · 1995

MovieDramaRomance

The residents of the Mokattam area are in a state of joy. Shata has been married to the dancer (Ahlam), but (Ahlam) has a lover's heart (Awad). In order to resolve the situation, Awad must arrange for the expenses of the marriage within a few days and the introduction of Ahlam's speech. Awad tries to help Awad and thinks that she is overdoing herself. Awad is committing a process closer to armed robbery and stealing his brother's clothes to sell. Ahlam is staying in an apartment of a foreigner to help her boyfriend buy the net.

The Land

The Land · 1970

Set in 1933, the mayor informs the peasants that the share of irrigation of their land will be split equally between them and feudal lord Mahmoud Bey. The peasants send Mohamed Effendi to submit a petition to the government. Mahmoud Bey then proposes a project that would require taking part of the peasants' lands.

Messages from the Sea

Messages from the Sea · 2010

Messages from the Sea

MovieDramaRomance

A man witnesses the drastic changes in society as he goes back to the Alexandria of his youth.

Kit Kat

Kit Kat · 1991

MovieComedyDrama

Sheikh Hosny is a blind man who lives with his old mother and his frustrated son in the Kit Kat neighborhood. His son Youssef dreams of going to Europe to find work, and has a relationship with a divorced woman named Fatima. Sheikh Hosny refuses to admit his handicap and dreams of riding a motorcycle like every sighted person, he also spends his nights smoking hash with the locals in order to forget his miseries after the loss of his wife and selling his father's house.

Land of Fear

Land of Fear · 2000

MovieDramaCrime

A police officer is chosen in the late 1960s for a unique and lifelong mission: to infiltrate Egypt’s criminal underworld. Stripped of his name and reputation, he adopts a new identity, living among smugglers, dealers, and nightclub owners. Over the years, he rises within this hidden world, all the while trying to balance his secret duty with the temptations of wealth, power, and desire. Against the backdrop of Egypt’s shifting political eras, his life becomes a meditation on morality, loyalty, and the fragile boundaries of identity and biblical-level metaphors.

The Vagabonds

The Vagabonds · 1985

The film that established Abdel Sayed as a pioneer of New Realism in Egyptian cinema tells the story of two friends who rose from the bottom to the top of society through suspicious dealmaking, in a story full of love, anger, and betrayal.

Land of Dreams

Land of Dreams · 1993

Nargis, a middle-aged woman, is preparing to leave Egypt for the United States to reunite with her grown children, who are mesmerized by the allure of the "Land of Dreams". However, as her departure draws near, she is plagued by deep reluctance and fear of leaving her life and identity behind.

The Search for Sayed Marzouk

The Search for Sayed Marzouk · 1991

The Search for Sayed Marzouk

MovieDramaAction

Yousef is a naive employee who goes out on his day off to meet strange characters, including a wretch dressed like Charlie Chaplin and Said Marzouq, an eccentric multi-faceted billionaire, full of contradictions and ambiguity. While trying to find himself ,he becomes accused of murder.

The Man Who Lost His Shadow

The Man Who Lost His Shadow · 1968

The Man Who Lost His Shadow

The story of friendship on the eve of the free officers' revolution: Youssef, an unprincipled journalist, whose star rises thanks to his connections, and Shawki, an idealist man committed to social justice

Out of the Ordinary

Out of the Ordinary · 2015

Out of the Ordinary

MovieDramaFantasy

When Yehia's scientific investigation of the paranormal yields nothing, he takes a forced vacation from his work and regular life. Wandering aimlessly, he settles in a seaside guest house that is inhabited by a group of quirky characters. As Yehia grows intimate with the owner and close to her charismatic young daughter, he believes he's stumbled across the magic he had sought for so long. It appears that something out of the ordinary seems to exist within them all, and perhaps also within himself.

أوهام الحب

أوهام الحب · 1970

أوهام الحب

Local version

MovieDramaMusic

Egyptian short movie

The Advice of a Wise Man in Matters of the Village and Education

The Advice of a Wise Man in Matters of the Village and Education · 1976

The Advice of a Wise Man in Matters of the Village and Education

MovieDocumentary

In this socio-political short, film director Daoud Abdel Sayed discusses, from a biased perspective, the effects of Free Education on the Egyptian countryside.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

More on NetflixSee all →

Animals

Animals · 2026

MovieThrillerDrama

When the son of an L.A. mayoral candidate is kidnapped, he and his wife have a few hours to come up with the ransom payment. With most of their money spent on his political campaign, they have to get their hands dirty and expose a side of their lives they never intended to see the light of day.

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner · 2026

The Breadwinner

MovieComedyFamily

After his wife Katie lands a once-in-a-lifetime deal on Shark Tank that takes her on a prolonged business trip - lifelong breadwinner Nate Wilcox now has to fend for his family as a first-time stay-at-home dad.

Reporting Live

Reporting Live · 2026

MovieCrimeThriller

A young reporter and her reluctant cameraman chase a story, only to get entangled in an illegal sand-mining racket run by a ruthless syndicate.

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot · 2024

MovieFamilyAnimation

After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home · 2021

Spider-Man: No Way Home

MovieActionAdventure

Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

Spirited Away

Spirited Away · 2001

MovieAnimationFamily

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

The Godfather

The Godfather · 1972

MovieDramaCrime

Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.

The Storm

The Storm · 2026

MovieComedyDrama

When a storm traps old university pals at a luxury lodge, their civilized birthday bash spirals into a cyclone of betrayals, grudges and unfiltered chaos.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle · 2025

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

MovieAnimationAction

The Demon Slayer Corps are drawn into the Infinity Castle, where Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the Hashira face terrifying Upper Rank demons in a desperate fight as the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji begins.

Swapped

Swapped · 2026

MovieAdventureAnimation

A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime to switch back. Their journey soon uncovers a greater threat—one that could endanger not only their species, but the entire valley they call home.

Evil Dead Burn

Evil Dead Burn · 2026

After her husband's abrupt death, Alice seeks solace with his remaining family — descendants of a leading researcher on demonic possession. As her in-laws transform one by one into creatures that feed on fear, she comes to discover that the vows she took in life survive even in death.

Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After · 2010

Shrek Forever After

MovieComedyAdventure

A midlife-crisis burdened Shrek, longing for the days of when he felt like a real ogre, makes a pact with magic deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin. But when he's duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away—where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona have never met—he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.

Facing El Chapo

Facing El Chapo · 2026

Facing El Chapo

MovieCrimeAction

Two Mexican officers must survive the final hours of their shift after crossing a ruthless cartel boss.

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle · 2004

Howl's Moving Castle

MovieFantasyAnimation

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

War Machine

War Machine · 2026

MovieActionScience Fiction

On one last grueling mission during Army Ranger training, a combat engineer must lead his unit in a fight against a giant otherworldly killing machine.

KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters · 2025

KPop Demon Hunters

MovieFantasyMusic

When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Ice Age: Continental Drift · 2012

Ice Age: Continental Drift

MovieAnimationComedy

Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they explore a new world.

White Chicks

White Chicks · 2004

MovieComedyCrime

Two FBI agent brothers, Marcus and Kevin Copeland, accidentally foil a drug bust. To avoid being fired they accept a mission escorting a pair of socialites to the Hamptons--but when the girls are disfigured in a car accident, they refuse to go. Left without options, Marcus and Kevin decide to pose as the sisters, transforming themselves from black men into rich white women.

Shrek the Third

Shrek the Third · 2007

Shrek the Third

MovieFantasyAdventure

After the King of Far Far Away dies, Shrek and Fiona are to succede. However, Shrek wants to return to his cozy swamp and live in peace and quiet, so when he finds out there is another heir to the throne, he and Donkey set off to bring him back to rule the kingdom.

Hostel

Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter