The recent uprisings and revolutions in many Arab countries have been exhilarating, epochal, and astonishing in their extent and degree of success. They have not, however, been completely unexpected, given how clearly the citizens of Arab countries have tried to express their impatience and disgust over the decades only to be pushed back and clamped down again and again—until now, at least for Tunisia and Egypt so far. In this talk I will look back over the last half century of Egyptian popular films to see how the trope of “injustice” (aZ-Zulm) (whether social, political, or personal) has informed scores of popular films. Seen from the perspective of a post-revolutionary Egypt, these themes take on added significance, whether they are found in melodramas, action films, or comedies. They may also give us a glimpse into the kinds of ongoing narratives that are still being developed about the causes and success of the revolution, and the incipient dangers of a counter-revolution. The analysis will be carried out within the framework of film genre studies and how film genres both reflect and influence cultural norms and expectations.