Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

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  March 9, 2012

  bbcfloridabound

  Another one of those excellent movies that got by me when they first came out. Chiwetel Ejifor plays an excellent part and his acting is way under rated. Film is about illegal immigrants in London and what they have to do in order to live. Okwe was a doctor back in Africa and is ... read morenow a cab driver and hotel clerk who everyone comes to for help. The hotel owner is moving body parts he takes immigrants and provides them with false papers for a body part. 5 stars

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  August 21, 2011

  mumby1988

  Over a career spanning 40 years, Stephen Frears has demonstrated versatility in his filmmaking rivalled only by Alan Parker and Ridley Scott. His directorial stamp is so subtle that you would have difficulty convincing the casual viewer that Dangerous Liaisons and High Fidelity w... read moreere directed by the same man. With Dirty Pretty Things he returns to the gritty territory of My Beautiful Laundrette, and delivers what is possibly his finest film.
  
  It's all too common for a film to boast about its 'gritty realism', with most such boasting being a hopeless cover for a preposterous storyline or sub-par shooting style. But even if Dirty Pretty Things felt the need to boast about such things, there would be no need for it. The world which Frears creates is so readily and shockingly believable that we don't need constant reminders that we are seeing might actually be based on fact.
  
  Like much of his 1980s work, Dirty Pretty Things has an unassuming visual style. Chris Menges, who has worked with Frears extensively since Gumshoe, lights London completely naturalistically, with no effort made to glamorise the characters' surroundings or gloss over the dingier aspects of London. This is not a film which takes on a pertinent and sensitive subject only to hand it with kid gloves: it is frequently painful to watch, but in a way which is ultimately vindicated.
  
  Dirty Pretty Things is about the British underclass of illegal immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, who come over in their thousands ever year to do the jobs that no-one else will do. Though the film is nearly ten years old, the political issues it raises are still big hot potatoes; rarely a week goes by without the Daily Mail bursting blood vessels over immigration numbers or benefit cheats. But the film is layered and nuanced enough to make xenophobe reconsider, or at least to admit how lucky they are.
  
  The central point of the film is that a capitalist society cannot function without an underclass of cheap labour which can be readily exploited. Whether they're driving taxis or cleaning toilets, the people in this underclass live virtually hand-to-mouth with no proper rights and no chance of police protection. They exist in a limbo state where the only choice is survival, by any means and at any cost.
  
  Throughout the film several characters sell or attempt to sell one of their kidneys to Signor Juan (Sergi Lopez) in exchange for that most coveted of items, a British passport. This storyline allows the film to explore the workings of the black economy, again without either glamorising or outright condemning its participants. Signor Juan is presented as equally a monster and a twisted entrepreneur: as he says, "I'm an evil man, and yet I am saving a life." He is fulfilling the capitalist dream by making something of himself and earning money, but his success comes at the expense of innocent people who have no form of defence, legal or otherwise.
  
  If Steven Knight's screenplay wasn't so adept at constructing characters, Dirty Pretty Things would quickly descend into melodramatic hogwash. Instead, the film is a screenwriting triumph, with Knight thoroughly deserving his Oscar nod. On the one hand, there are attempts made to differentiate between the different aspects or layers of the underclass: Okwe is an illegal immigrant, Senay is seeking asylum, and Guo Yi is an employed refugee. By showing their different circumstances and levels of security, the film avoids the trap of caricaturing the underclass as something to be pitied, and hence it never risks us losing trust in the story.
  
  On the other hand, Knight's screenplay constantly resists becoming too generic. The storyline contains a number of mystery or thriller elements, with Chiwitel Ejiofor's sleepless protagonist bringing something of a film noir feel. But neither Frears nor Knight ever feel the need to crowbar the characters into an existing mould. Sophie Okonedo's prostitute may be pleasant, but she's not a hooker with a heart of gold.
  
  The story of Dirty Pretty Things unfolds very economically, with a perfect sense of pacing which allows the characters to develop of their own accord. By setting most of the action in and around a hotel, we get a microcosmic view of the issues, so that the ideas never get so broad that they drown out the characters. For all the time you spend soaking up the political implications of their actions, you are mainly and constantly interested in the protagonists and whether or not they will survive the increasing number of ordeals put before them.
  
  Because it treats its subject so honestly and truthfully (without being earnest or worthy), there are a number of scenes in Dirty Pretty Things which are uncomfortable to watch. One of the first scenes finds Okwe finding a human heart lodged in the u-bend of a toilet, a sight that will turn many a stomach. The surgical scenes are appropriately gruesome, producing the desired reaction of revulsion without feeling like they were just included for shock value.
  
  Alongside this, however, the film is very good at catching us off guard at certain moments. There are several scenes where the story threatens to slip into cliché, only for the camera to cut and reveal something which sheds new light on what is happening. When Okwe first goes into the back room of the cab office, he is asked to get down on his knees. We think he is about to provide the man with oral sex, but it later emerges that he was a doctor examining him for venereal disease.
  
  In a similar sequence, Senay is working in a sweatshop and asked to perform said act on the manager in return for keeping her on after the police have raided. Audrey Tautou sinks out of shot and the camera zooms in on the manager's face, which turns to a grimace after he is bitten. The recurring image of presumed oral sex could be seen as a metaphor for the position and status of illegal immigrants. On the surface we are the ones being pleasured and in control, when in fact they have at least as much influence, and we have no means of responding should the relationship break down.
  
  This latter scene also hints at the presence of humour in the film. Rather than going down the route of being admirably grim, Frears acknowledges that the characters would use humour to get through their experiences. It is not a comedy, but there are a few moments which provoke a light chuckle, which in turn provides much by way of context and pathos. One such moment finds Senay eating a stew Okwe has cooked, and he remarks, "you can do many things with pork". Senay stops eating, being a Muslim and therefore forbidden to eat pork, and Owke continues, "of course, I used lamb."
  
  The performances in Dirty Pretty Things are all first-rate. Sergi Lopez, best known for his role in Pan's Labyrinth, brings a sneering, snooty quality to the character while never slipping into pantomime. Audrey Tautou proves her range as an actress, giving a layered and subtle performance on a par with her work in Amelie. And Chiwitel Ejiofor is terrific, delivering every line with the right balance of conviction and nervous apprehension.
  
  Dirty Pretty Things is one of Frears' finest efforts as a filmmaker and remains of the best films of the decade. Its intelligent handling of a difficult subject matter is complimented by its versatile treatment of its characters, culminating in an ending which is both valedictory and heart-breaking. On the basis of his subsequent output (Mrs. Henderson Presents, Cheri, Tamara Drewe), it may turn out to be the last great film Frears ever makes. But that cannot tarnish a remarkable viewing experience which has stood the test of time and will continue to do so.

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  April 16, 2010

  aliceinpunderland

  A very nice multicultural movie without the United Colors of Benetton feel. It's not about colors; it's about immigrants, stuck between two or more cultures, making a connection. Chiwetel Ejiofor is quite magnetic as the conflicted doctor, now relegated to odd jobs at a hotel a... read morend chauffeur business. The scene in which he's questioned by the immigration agents looking for Senay is an excellent showcase of a strong actor playing weak - much like Al Pacino in ...And Justice For All .
  
  I wasn't terribly impressed with Audrey Tautou surprisingly. I don't know if her Turkish accent is all that believable or consistent; nor do I think she and Ejiofor create any chemistry. They seem like good friends, and that's why the "I love you" ending threw me off.
  
  There's one pretty big hole in the script though. Okwe finding a healthy, human heart lodged in the toilet is the inciting incident that propels the dramatic question of the film. However, if a patient died on the table at the hands of an incompetent surgeon in the hotel's underground kidney ring, why would the surgeon cut open his chest, take out the heart, and flush it down the toilet?
  
  Also, doesn't a bare-shouldered Audrey Tautou on the movie poster make this movie seem like an erotic thriller? Spoiler Alert: it's not.

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  September 29, 2009

  SirPant

  A fantastic film by frears with a fantastic cast. A controversial theme handled very well through a very good story although it gets a little silly towards the end.

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  July 6, 2008

  Stinger839

  "So Fucked Up" highlight: the whole plot

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  December 13, 2007

  puffchunk

  Not terrible. About people who work in a hotel and will do a shotty job of cutting out your kidney to sell on the black market in exchange for a fake passport.

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  July 17, 2007

  Camus123

  How does one explain this movie without giving it away? An incredibly real movie which makes this gritty thriller that much more tangible. Immigrants attempting to survive in a world where the bureaucracy tries to keep them down. Endless jobs. Endless compromises. Where horror st... read morerikes? Well, remember this ...there is a Black Market out there for everything. Outstanding performances by Audrey Tautou (who makes you fall in love with her no matter what part she plays) and Chjwetel Ejiofor. How far will the "heart" let them go?

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  February 5, 2007

  ceWEBrity

  Audrey Tautou owns yet another role. Chiwetel Ejiofor is excellent as well. The plot is a little bare-bones, but truly deep characters and a sense of intrigue help the movie out in this department.
  
  The ending could have used a little more work.

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• 
  
  December 1, 2006

  DrZeek

  A kidney gets you a passport and it gets me 10,000 pounds.
  
  A neat character drama and thriller. Set and made by the British, it is led by Ejifor who I continue to like as an actor. He hold the movie together as a Nigerian doctor with a dark past who is an illegal imigrant, with ... read moretwo jobs, and does not sleep. Tautou is also here and is still adorable, but plays very sad throughout. The plot is pretty neat, as it involves the british underwold of illegal immigrants and the things people do there, but it's mainly about these characters. Good supporting cast and a good score as well. Moves along slowly at points but reveals itself nicely.

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  November 7, 2006

  dreamfaeries

  Odd, but good.

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• Audrey Tautou as Senay
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Okwe
• Sergi López as Sneaky
• Benedict Wong as Guo Yi
• Sophie Okonedo as Juliette
• Zlatko Buric
• Abi Gouhad
• Damon Younger
• Darrell D'Silva

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• • Guo Yi: There's nothing so dangerous as a virtuous man.
• • Okwe: I am not here to meet anyone in particular, but I am here to rescue those let down by the system.

• Wich french actress plays in Dirty pretty things and recently in Da Vinci code?  Answer »
• I appeared in the following films: Dirty Pretty Things A Very Long Engagement Amélie The Da Vinci Code  Answer »
• Name the actress who acted in the following. -Amelie -A Very Long Engagement -The DaVinci Code -Dirty Pretty Things  Answer »
• You may know me from: Amélie, Happenstance, Dirty Pretty Things & The Davinci Code, Who am I?   Answer »

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