Stephen Frears has once again given viewers a fascinating look at characters that seem to live in societies cracks and its underbelly. This film is about an illegal immigrant from Nigeria named Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who drives a minicab part time and also works the front desk at a hotel. He sleeps on the couch of another illegal immigrant who works as a chambermaid. Her name is Senay (Audrey Tautou) who is Turkish and secretly in love with Okwe and they both have to be careful of immigration officials. The night manager at the hotel is Sneaky (Sergi Lopez) and he is involved in vile schemes behind the doors of the hotel. One night Okwe is checking a stopped up toilet in a room and he finds it clogged with a human heart. He asks some questions but Sneaky tells him to mind his own business. Immigration officials are tracking Senay and she finds another job at a sweat factory sewing but the owner of that business makes her give sexual pleasures in order for her to keep her job. Okwe talks to his Asian friend Guo Yi (Benedict Wong) who works at the hospital morgue about the heart and he tells him that many illegal immigrants give up their kidneys in exchange for citizenship. Its then that he figures out Sneaky is behind these illegal operations but Okwe cannot tell anyone in fear of being deported. Senay dreams of going to New York and makes a deal with Sneaky about giving him her kidney. Okwe was a surgeon in Nigeria and asks Sneaky that in exchange for two passports he will perform the operation. Stephen Frears has again directed a film with characters that are on the fringe of normal society. This is a carefully detailed script and each one of these characters is well written. One of the interesting things about this film is that each character is of a different nationality. Sneaky is a Spaniard, Yi is Asian, The doorman is Russian, Okwe is Nigerian and Senay is Turkish. Each of them have jobs that most of us would not want. But Frears wants us to realize what people perform these tasks and how difficult it is to do some of these jobs and stay true to their morals and beliefs. This is a fascinating character study of a bunch of people that a lot of us take for granted. The characters are all so well written and we have come to expect this from Frears. Okwe was a surgeon and exiled out of Nigeria and he is haunted by his past. Senay is a virgin but in love with Okwe and she wants to go be with her sister and not be like her mother, Yi understands Asian customs and when he gets an Asian body he makes sure it is prepared correctly for their religious service. Beautifully detailed script paints a riveting look at immigrants who do what they have to in order to survive. It's not a pretty picture but Frears usually doesn't direct pretty films. Along with "The Grifters" this is arguably his best film. Although I wouldn't call it a mystery, it does work on that level. What I would call it though is a carefully detailed character study. The performances are all exceptional and Ejiofor is the centerpiece of the film. He shows he can carry a film and definitely has screen presence. I think this is an important role for Tautou who was probably bombarded with scripts for romantic comedies following the huge success of "Amelie". She wanted to show that she's capable of a lot more than that and this was definitely an excellent step in that direction. She's very good in this film. And Lopez gives us a villain that you will not easily forget. He's not some high profile gangster type with henchmen to help him. He's just a night manager at a seedy hotel but with the power to turn them all in to immigration if they don't follow his orders. Some have said that this is Stephen Frears masterpiece. After thinking about it, who's to argue?
234 Reviews
Okay, But It Certainly Didn't Live Up To Its Hype
ccthemovieman-13 October 2007
Having enjoyed watching Audrey Tautou in "Amelie," I decided to give this a look. I've done that in several other of her films since then, too, and always with the same result: the films stink. I guess she peaked with "Amelie."
Like others, I also got suckered in on the reviews which said this was "a sensational thriller.....gripping suspense." Yeah, right. I never pay attention to that nonsense anymore. Movies like this taught me to disregard any "hype."
Folks, this is very little suspense in this film. I kept waiting and waiting for it. The only thing that kept me interested were Audrey's big beautiful eyes and Chiwtel Ejiofor's interesting character "Okwe." It's not a bad film; just not as good as advertised which makes the viewer disappointed.
An interesting twist in this film was having people of "color" playing Caucasian roles. Wow, that's a switch from the old classic-era days. It also was Tautou's first English-speaking role, and she was fine with that. (She's French.)
The story is simply of how Britain blackmailed some immigrants into donating body parts, such as a kidney, to give them status so they wouldn't be deported. I agree: if that really happened, it's outrageous.
Overall, I would rate it as "fair," and maybe give it a sixth star for the nice colors in here and the fact that it's also low on profanity. You could do a whole lot worse but just don't expect a suspenseful film, either.
Like others, I also got suckered in on the reviews which said this was "a sensational thriller.....gripping suspense." Yeah, right. I never pay attention to that nonsense anymore. Movies like this taught me to disregard any "hype."
Folks, this is very little suspense in this film. I kept waiting and waiting for it. The only thing that kept me interested were Audrey's big beautiful eyes and Chiwtel Ejiofor's interesting character "Okwe." It's not a bad film; just not as good as advertised which makes the viewer disappointed.
An interesting twist in this film was having people of "color" playing Caucasian roles. Wow, that's a switch from the old classic-era days. It also was Tautou's first English-speaking role, and she was fine with that. (She's French.)
The story is simply of how Britain blackmailed some immigrants into donating body parts, such as a kidney, to give them status so they wouldn't be deported. I agree: if that really happened, it's outrageous.
Overall, I would rate it as "fair," and maybe give it a sixth star for the nice colors in here and the fact that it's also low on profanity. You could do a whole lot worse but just don't expect a suspenseful film, either.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
angry_ant6 September 2003
A good film, with a slightly jarring sentimental/thriller twist to it. The prostitute character was a bit too 'tart with a heart'.
80% of the film deals with the horrible, daily grind of being an 'illegal' immigrant in London - and this is very good. However, the film is compromised by a totally unnecessary twist that ruins the moral ambiguities built up previously - the audience is expected to revel in the 'baddy's' comeuppance as if they are watching a pantomime.
Loathe to criticise too much as this is a great rarity - a half-decent British film that doesn't feature (i) stuck-up poshos having a right old larf or (ii) grey peasants grimly existing on a Birmingham council estate. And special mention must go to Chiwetel Ejiofor for one of the best performances I have ever seen; all controlled anger and simple expresiveness. A shame he has to pay the bills by appearing in British uber- trash such as Trust and the truly dreadful Spooks.
80% of the film deals with the horrible, daily grind of being an 'illegal' immigrant in London - and this is very good. However, the film is compromised by a totally unnecessary twist that ruins the moral ambiguities built up previously - the audience is expected to revel in the 'baddy's' comeuppance as if they are watching a pantomime.
Loathe to criticise too much as this is a great rarity - a half-decent British film that doesn't feature (i) stuck-up poshos having a right old larf or (ii) grey peasants grimly existing on a Birmingham council estate. And special mention must go to Chiwetel Ejiofor for one of the best performances I have ever seen; all controlled anger and simple expresiveness. A shame he has to pay the bills by appearing in British uber- trash such as Trust and the truly dreadful Spooks.
An unflinching look at society's expendables...
ilpintl2 August 2003
`Dirty Pretty Things', Stephen Frears' latest film played last year in Europe, but the North American opportunity to see it only came yesterday. Much buzz, fortunately all merited, preceded it: an amazing Nigerian actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, already acclaimed for his stage performances, makes his big-screen debut, while Audrey Tatou, the impossibly wide-eyed kook from 2001's `Amelie', tackles her first English-language movie role.
Frears' film details the story of those faceless, nameless human beings of a variety of ethnicities, who, for a multitude of reasons--all marked by desperation--sneak into England. Then, until they wangle a way of getting a British passport, they lead the hunted, humiliating lives of the illegal immigrant. The Nigerian Okwe is one such person: a pathologist in his home country, he is reduced to driving cabs by day and moonlighting as the sole front-desk worker in a London hotel by night. During the day, he grabs a couple of hours of sleep on the couch of a Turkish co-worker, a hotel maid named Senay, played by Audrey Tatou. As in most hotels in these straitened times, the night staff deals with the usual sordid emergencies that arise when the nocturnal creatures of the city are on the prowl. Prostitution and drugs are routine phenomena, but when he finds a human heart clogging a toilet in one of the rooms, Okwe realizes that something far more sinister is afoot.
For the illegal immigrants portrayed in the film, it is an ongoing struggle to hold onto some semblance of integrity, humanity, and dignity, as the Society around them exploits and hounds them mercilessly, safe in the knowledge that nothing would be reported to the authorities. Each character makes more compromises and greater sacrifices, all for freedom, which as the tagline of the film sums up, comes at a price. Senay is a hair's breadth away from getting her residency papers, when she runs afoul of the law and has to go on the lam to avoid deportation. Okwe, the cause of her problems, feels duty-bound to see that she remains safe. But by persisting in his efforts to unravel the mystery of the heart in the toilet, he becomes increasingly exposed to those who would harm him and Senay.
Interestingly, though this film is set in London, none of the main characters is English: there's Juliette, an ironically-named feisty West Indian hooker who plies her trade in the hotel; Ivan, the Russian doorman; Senor Juan or `Sneaky', another hotel employee who makes use of the hotel for his own money-making schemes; Gou Yi, a Chinese night porter in a morgue; a motley collection of Somali, Nigerian, and Kenyan men who work at the cab company, and the South Asian owner of a sweatshop. Even the Immigration inspectors who make the dreaded surprise checks for illegal aliens are of color, but they have been elevated into a privileged stratum of society by their passports. These people alternately help each other and prey on each other for another person's frailty is always a source of profit; while a person with knowledge of one's past is someone to be feared. The London we see through their eyes is unrecognizable--squalid, begrimed, crowded, sleazy, perilous--not at all the gleaming promised land of immigrant fantasies.
Part anthropological documentary, part thriller, and part tentative, unlikely love story, this film keeps one riveted throughout. The unfortunates in the film live by their wits and survive by hanging on to their senses of humor. But as one degrading or dehumanizing experience piles itself atop another, you see them question the worth of the Holy Grail that is the British passport. However as there is no going back, they are forced to continue. Every now and then, they find it in themselves to hit back, making you want to applaud their diffident, costly bravery.
The film belongs to the lead pair. Ejiofor, with his expressive dark eyes and handsome face, registers every affront to his humanity; he inhabits the character of Okwe completely and takes us along on the bleak, dangerous journey that Okwe is forced into. Likewise, Tatou breaks our hearts as she is exploited time and again; she is an actress of such luminous transparency and vulnerability that one empathizes with every tribulation of Senay's. This is a far more dramatically demanding role than `Amelie' and Tatou is up to its challenges. Sergi Lopez, who's star-making turn in the French film `With A Friend like Harry' did not go unnoticed in North America, has created a charming whisky-guzzling monster in Senor Juan. Juan is the ultimate amoral opportunist, a Brylcreemed, Mercedes-driving vulture, and Lopez does not shy away from showing himself at his worst. Benedict Wong and Sophie Okonedo are first-rate, too, as the philosophical chess-playing morgue-worker buddy of Okwe and Juliette the rebellious prostitute respectively.
`Dirty Pretty Things', brilliantly written by Steve Knight, maintains its unpredictability right up to its surprise ending. Stephen Frears--no stranger to the seamy side of human nature (`My Beautiful Launderette', `Dangerous Liaisons', `The Grifters' being cases in point)--has crafted the film with delicacy and intelligence. A lesser director might have turned it into a sentimental morass, but Frears, with an unerring sense for a good story, abstains from making his characters too noble, too courageous, or too upstanding, rendering them altogether human and memorable.
Frears' film details the story of those faceless, nameless human beings of a variety of ethnicities, who, for a multitude of reasons--all marked by desperation--sneak into England. Then, until they wangle a way of getting a British passport, they lead the hunted, humiliating lives of the illegal immigrant. The Nigerian Okwe is one such person: a pathologist in his home country, he is reduced to driving cabs by day and moonlighting as the sole front-desk worker in a London hotel by night. During the day, he grabs a couple of hours of sleep on the couch of a Turkish co-worker, a hotel maid named Senay, played by Audrey Tatou. As in most hotels in these straitened times, the night staff deals with the usual sordid emergencies that arise when the nocturnal creatures of the city are on the prowl. Prostitution and drugs are routine phenomena, but when he finds a human heart clogging a toilet in one of the rooms, Okwe realizes that something far more sinister is afoot.
For the illegal immigrants portrayed in the film, it is an ongoing struggle to hold onto some semblance of integrity, humanity, and dignity, as the Society around them exploits and hounds them mercilessly, safe in the knowledge that nothing would be reported to the authorities. Each character makes more compromises and greater sacrifices, all for freedom, which as the tagline of the film sums up, comes at a price. Senay is a hair's breadth away from getting her residency papers, when she runs afoul of the law and has to go on the lam to avoid deportation. Okwe, the cause of her problems, feels duty-bound to see that she remains safe. But by persisting in his efforts to unravel the mystery of the heart in the toilet, he becomes increasingly exposed to those who would harm him and Senay.
Interestingly, though this film is set in London, none of the main characters is English: there's Juliette, an ironically-named feisty West Indian hooker who plies her trade in the hotel; Ivan, the Russian doorman; Senor Juan or `Sneaky', another hotel employee who makes use of the hotel for his own money-making schemes; Gou Yi, a Chinese night porter in a morgue; a motley collection of Somali, Nigerian, and Kenyan men who work at the cab company, and the South Asian owner of a sweatshop. Even the Immigration inspectors who make the dreaded surprise checks for illegal aliens are of color, but they have been elevated into a privileged stratum of society by their passports. These people alternately help each other and prey on each other for another person's frailty is always a source of profit; while a person with knowledge of one's past is someone to be feared. The London we see through their eyes is unrecognizable--squalid, begrimed, crowded, sleazy, perilous--not at all the gleaming promised land of immigrant fantasies.
Part anthropological documentary, part thriller, and part tentative, unlikely love story, this film keeps one riveted throughout. The unfortunates in the film live by their wits and survive by hanging on to their senses of humor. But as one degrading or dehumanizing experience piles itself atop another, you see them question the worth of the Holy Grail that is the British passport. However as there is no going back, they are forced to continue. Every now and then, they find it in themselves to hit back, making you want to applaud their diffident, costly bravery.
The film belongs to the lead pair. Ejiofor, with his expressive dark eyes and handsome face, registers every affront to his humanity; he inhabits the character of Okwe completely and takes us along on the bleak, dangerous journey that Okwe is forced into. Likewise, Tatou breaks our hearts as she is exploited time and again; she is an actress of such luminous transparency and vulnerability that one empathizes with every tribulation of Senay's. This is a far more dramatically demanding role than `Amelie' and Tatou is up to its challenges. Sergi Lopez, who's star-making turn in the French film `With A Friend like Harry' did not go unnoticed in North America, has created a charming whisky-guzzling monster in Senor Juan. Juan is the ultimate amoral opportunist, a Brylcreemed, Mercedes-driving vulture, and Lopez does not shy away from showing himself at his worst. Benedict Wong and Sophie Okonedo are first-rate, too, as the philosophical chess-playing morgue-worker buddy of Okwe and Juliette the rebellious prostitute respectively.
`Dirty Pretty Things', brilliantly written by Steve Knight, maintains its unpredictability right up to its surprise ending. Stephen Frears--no stranger to the seamy side of human nature (`My Beautiful Launderette', `Dangerous Liaisons', `The Grifters' being cases in point)--has crafted the film with delicacy and intelligence. A lesser director might have turned it into a sentimental morass, but Frears, with an unerring sense for a good story, abstains from making his characters too noble, too courageous, or too upstanding, rendering them altogether human and memorable.
I am REALLY unsure exactly what I think about this movie!
planktonrules24 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Let me explain my comment above. So far on IMDb, I have reviewed over 1000 films but am more torn over this review than almost any of the previous ones. That's because the fundamental plot device, people selling kidneys on the black market to get fake passports, just seems too wild to have even a grain of truth. As a result, I did a little bit of research. I already knew that some people in India had apparently sold organs (at least according to the BBC), but also know there are a lot of urban legends about the sale and theft of organs that are widely believed but not at all true (such as rumors of Westerners going to 3rd world countries to "adopt" kids just to harvest their organs). So, although I felt stuck about this plot element, not everyone will react that way (I guess I think too much some times). If you suspend disbelief, it's a much better movie.
Now as for the film, I feel that the real stand out star is Chiwetel Ejiofor as "Okwe". Although he is a relative newcomer, he was great i the lead role--handsome, believable and a heck of an actor. On the other hand, although I know many loved Audrey Tautou, I felt while she is a decent actress, she was wrong for the role. Although her command of English is excellent, she was expected to play a Turkish Immigrant and her accent was all wrong. Instead, it would have made a lot more sense to have her play an Algerian or Tunesian refugee, as her accent would have made a lot more sense since these were former French colonies--you just wouldn't expect to hear a French accent in Turkey! The writing and direction, aside from my complaint about the believability of the plot, were excellent and really kept my interest. While at times it was very hard to watch the film due to the harsh realities of daily life for illegal immigrants or immigrants working illegally, it IS a problem so it is definitely fair game for a movie. However, this is one of the LEAST kid-friendly films I've seen in some time, because the plot is very very adult, so I would strongly caution parents not to let their kids see this film.
Now as for the film, I feel that the real stand out star is Chiwetel Ejiofor as "Okwe". Although he is a relative newcomer, he was great i the lead role--handsome, believable and a heck of an actor. On the other hand, although I know many loved Audrey Tautou, I felt while she is a decent actress, she was wrong for the role. Although her command of English is excellent, she was expected to play a Turkish Immigrant and her accent was all wrong. Instead, it would have made a lot more sense to have her play an Algerian or Tunesian refugee, as her accent would have made a lot more sense since these were former French colonies--you just wouldn't expect to hear a French accent in Turkey! The writing and direction, aside from my complaint about the believability of the plot, were excellent and really kept my interest. While at times it was very hard to watch the film due to the harsh realities of daily life for illegal immigrants or immigrants working illegally, it IS a problem so it is definitely fair game for a movie. However, this is one of the LEAST kid-friendly films I've seen in some time, because the plot is very very adult, so I would strongly caution parents not to let their kids see this film.
A Gritty View of London
nycritic16 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Organ trafficking is the central theme of this overlooked great movie by Stephen Frears which received little noise when it came back in theatres in 2003 but managed to receive an Oscar nod for Original Screenplay. While this might not sound like the stuff that makes movies, Frears creates a visually effective thriller about the constant state of anxiety and exploitation in which immigrants with no papers must go through in order to survive.
This is the reality as seen through the eyes of Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Senay (Audrey Tatou) who work in a seedy hotel under the smarmy and vaguely psychotic supervision of appropriately named Sneaky (Sergi Lopez). Both are in constant fear of being discovered by immigration agents who pop up at the most inopportune moments, and to top this all, it seems the hotel where they work in is being the focus of something quite dirty; when Okwe makes a grisly discovery in a toilet after a call girl (recently Oscar-nominated Sophie Okonedo), he is blackmailed into participating in the illegal plot he uncovers, which later threatens to overcome Senay as she succumbs to the pressure of legalizing her papers.
Nice pacing, occasional dark humor brought in from time to time, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS never goes overboard with flashy chase sequences or explosions or implausible villains, but benefits from a grimier yet equally intense approach that conveys its message of the helplessness marginalized immigrants feel in a foreign country, compounded by the determination to survive at all costs, even when the situation seems grim.
This is the reality as seen through the eyes of Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Senay (Audrey Tatou) who work in a seedy hotel under the smarmy and vaguely psychotic supervision of appropriately named Sneaky (Sergi Lopez). Both are in constant fear of being discovered by immigration agents who pop up at the most inopportune moments, and to top this all, it seems the hotel where they work in is being the focus of something quite dirty; when Okwe makes a grisly discovery in a toilet after a call girl (recently Oscar-nominated Sophie Okonedo), he is blackmailed into participating in the illegal plot he uncovers, which later threatens to overcome Senay as she succumbs to the pressure of legalizing her papers.
Nice pacing, occasional dark humor brought in from time to time, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS never goes overboard with flashy chase sequences or explosions or implausible villains, but benefits from a grimier yet equally intense approach that conveys its message of the helplessness marginalized immigrants feel in a foreign country, compounded by the determination to survive at all costs, even when the situation seems grim.
Nice idea...Did you have to hit me in the head with it?
robsha24 August 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I really didn't have a preconceived notion as to what this movie was about or even how good it might be. I was looking forward to seeing Audrey Tautou working with Frears. Upon seeing it, I have to say I was fairly dismayed at the acting, directing, and writing.
I did like the idea of what the director and writer were saying yet I didn't need for them to yell the point at me towards the end of the movie. The "speech" about who we are and what we are felt over the top and preachy.
I feel the chemistry between actors either creates a synergy or the actors take away from each other. Our two main characters in this film felt really stiff and made me uncomfortable to watch them. I certainly wouldn't have guessed the feelings they expressed later. I found the side characters much more interesting. The prostitute, the doorman, and Okwe's chess playing morgue friend. Each had their own maxims and philosophies of life.
I found some of the writing logic very messy. **Possible Spoilers** The "twist" at the end in which all three people walk out to meet the black market doctor. That person would never have given them the money willingly. Also, if the Hooker told Okwe the room needed to be cleaned up than she would then obviously know about operation. He was extremely curious yet he never asked her about it and what person in their right mind would have flushed the heart in a toilet to begin with.
I did like the idea of what the director and writer were saying yet I didn't need for them to yell the point at me towards the end of the movie. The "speech" about who we are and what we are felt over the top and preachy.
I feel the chemistry between actors either creates a synergy or the actors take away from each other. Our two main characters in this film felt really stiff and made me uncomfortable to watch them. I certainly wouldn't have guessed the feelings they expressed later. I found the side characters much more interesting. The prostitute, the doorman, and Okwe's chess playing morgue friend. Each had their own maxims and philosophies of life.
I found some of the writing logic very messy. **Possible Spoilers** The "twist" at the end in which all three people walk out to meet the black market doctor. That person would never have given them the money willingly. Also, if the Hooker told Okwe the room needed to be cleaned up than she would then obviously know about operation. He was extremely curious yet he never asked her about it and what person in their right mind would have flushed the heart in a toilet to begin with.
Second class citizens
jotix10010 August 2003
Warning: Spoilers
This is not a film for those without a strong heart, as it shows in a very real way what goes on among the desperate people of third world countries living illegally in London. It shows what desperation can do to a human being in order to survive.
Stephen Frears is a fearless director. Most of the work he has done stands behind him as a statement to his craft. He is working here on a screen play by Steve Knight. It is a story about what happens to people that must go to a foreign country in order to survive and try to make a living in the worst possible circumstances, just to help the ones they leave behind. In this case, the people that are trying to better themselves, as it's the case in the film, get much more of what they've bargained for.
The revelation in this picture is Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is just brilliant as Okwe, the illegal immigrant at the center of the story. He is a decent man who finds himself amongst unscrupulous people behind the sordid operation that goes on in the Baltic Hotel. This is an actor who can carry the picture; he is a natural. Mr. Ejiofor has the unfortunate claim of not having a name or isn't a "star" by Hollywood's standard. Just imagine what a Denzel Washington, or a Samuel L. Jackson would have earned by making this movie!
Equally fabulous is Sergi Lopez, the man behind the dirty things going on in the hotel. His Senor Juan is, without a doubt, one of creepiest individuals in films in a while. He is a repulsive man who is "transformed" at the end, through no wish of his own. Mr. Lopez who has appeared in several films in his native Spain and in France is a chameleon. He goes from one picture to the next never duplicating the work he has done on the previous screen appearance. He is always an asset to any film.
The rest of the cast is very good too. Audrey Tautou as Semay, the Turkish immigrant that shares her flat with Okwe is used very effectively by the director. Gone are the cute excesses of Amelie. Another notable presence is Sophie Okoneko as a prostitute with the heart in the right place.
The end of the film seems to prove there's justice in the world after all. The same system that creates a living hell for Okwe and Semay while they are underground gives them new identities to face a better future somewhere else.
Stephen Frears is a fearless director. Most of the work he has done stands behind him as a statement to his craft. He is working here on a screen play by Steve Knight. It is a story about what happens to people that must go to a foreign country in order to survive and try to make a living in the worst possible circumstances, just to help the ones they leave behind. In this case, the people that are trying to better themselves, as it's the case in the film, get much more of what they've bargained for.
The revelation in this picture is Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is just brilliant as Okwe, the illegal immigrant at the center of the story. He is a decent man who finds himself amongst unscrupulous people behind the sordid operation that goes on in the Baltic Hotel. This is an actor who can carry the picture; he is a natural. Mr. Ejiofor has the unfortunate claim of not having a name or isn't a "star" by Hollywood's standard. Just imagine what a Denzel Washington, or a Samuel L. Jackson would have earned by making this movie!
Equally fabulous is Sergi Lopez, the man behind the dirty things going on in the hotel. His Senor Juan is, without a doubt, one of creepiest individuals in films in a while. He is a repulsive man who is "transformed" at the end, through no wish of his own. Mr. Lopez who has appeared in several films in his native Spain and in France is a chameleon. He goes from one picture to the next never duplicating the work he has done on the previous screen appearance. He is always an asset to any film.
The rest of the cast is very good too. Audrey Tautou as Semay, the Turkish immigrant that shares her flat with Okwe is used very effectively by the director. Gone are the cute excesses of Amelie. Another notable presence is Sophie Okoneko as a prostitute with the heart in the right place.
The end of the film seems to prove there's justice in the world after all. The same system that creates a living hell for Okwe and Semay while they are underground gives them new identities to face a better future somewhere else.
Good looking but very simplistic, superficial movie.
Boba_Fett113824 July 2008
Quite surprised to see how much this movie is being appreciated. While it of course is not the worst movie I've ever seen it also just isn't the most exciting or engaging one. It's a very simplistic and superficial movie, that could and should had been worked out way better when considering its main subject.
The movie just doesn't ever really become tense or exciting, the storytelling doesn't ever allow it. It's the kind of more realistic and slow but distant way of storytelling, in which all of the characters are quite stereotypical. It's all way too simplistic, especially also the movie its main plot. It's as if the film-makers didn't had the guts to be edgy and simply picked the easy, simple, safe road for the movie. The movie paid more attention to its style than its actual substance. A shame, when considering the 'serious' subject of the movie.
Surely they could had come up with something better concerning the theme of organ theft. It's a waste of a potentially great and relevant subject. The movie is not really a thriller, it's not ever tense or engaging enough for that but it's also not really a drama, since the character remain too underdeveloped and are just mere flat stereotypes of the persons from the countries that character originate from.
Perhaps it's also due to the main character that the movie doesn't really work out. He's a quiet but obviously intelligent man, who also obviously carries a secret with him. It makes him a character that is not always easy to understand and you just never really connect to him. Also embarrassing to watch at times how incredibly moralistic they made him look, which gives the entire movie as a whole also a moralistic overtone, that is somewhat in contrast perhaps with the serious and realistic approach of the movie.
The movie is only still refreshing to watch because it tells the story from the point of view of (illegal) immigrant living in London. But like I said before, the characters are still sad stereotypes. Chiwetel Ejiofor the smart African immigrant who has to start at the bottom again in the western world, Audrey Tautou the naive innocent young Muslim girl (funny though that Turkish immigrants speak with a clear French accent), Zlatko Buric the always complaining and cold Russian, who is also always in for making some extra cash. Benedict Wong the smart educated Asian and Sergi López as the temperamental Spaniard. It's especially bad how villainous Sergi López plays his character in the movie. He's basically evil and bad in every way possible, which again seems in contrast again with the movie its more realistic and serious approach of things.
I don't really think it's the actor's fault though. The international cast have proofed in movies before that they are some real capable actors, also in English speaking roles. Still it seems odd to me that they ever agreed to participate in this movie, considering the extreme stereotypical and also superficial roles they had to play.
But I more blame Stephen Frears for picking this approach. He's a well known and appreciated director, who has made some real hits but also misses in his career. This movie is somewhere in the middle of it. It's not good or effective enough to consider this a success movie but it's also not bad enough to label this movie as something horrible and unwatchable. It's a good looking movie that unfortunately doesn't pick the most effective approach thinkable for its subject.
6/10
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The movie just doesn't ever really become tense or exciting, the storytelling doesn't ever allow it. It's the kind of more realistic and slow but distant way of storytelling, in which all of the characters are quite stereotypical. It's all way too simplistic, especially also the movie its main plot. It's as if the film-makers didn't had the guts to be edgy and simply picked the easy, simple, safe road for the movie. The movie paid more attention to its style than its actual substance. A shame, when considering the 'serious' subject of the movie.
Surely they could had come up with something better concerning the theme of organ theft. It's a waste of a potentially great and relevant subject. The movie is not really a thriller, it's not ever tense or engaging enough for that but it's also not really a drama, since the character remain too underdeveloped and are just mere flat stereotypes of the persons from the countries that character originate from.
Perhaps it's also due to the main character that the movie doesn't really work out. He's a quiet but obviously intelligent man, who also obviously carries a secret with him. It makes him a character that is not always easy to understand and you just never really connect to him. Also embarrassing to watch at times how incredibly moralistic they made him look, which gives the entire movie as a whole also a moralistic overtone, that is somewhat in contrast perhaps with the serious and realistic approach of the movie.
The movie is only still refreshing to watch because it tells the story from the point of view of (illegal) immigrant living in London. But like I said before, the characters are still sad stereotypes. Chiwetel Ejiofor the smart African immigrant who has to start at the bottom again in the western world, Audrey Tautou the naive innocent young Muslim girl (funny though that Turkish immigrants speak with a clear French accent), Zlatko Buric the always complaining and cold Russian, who is also always in for making some extra cash. Benedict Wong the smart educated Asian and Sergi López as the temperamental Spaniard. It's especially bad how villainous Sergi López plays his character in the movie. He's basically evil and bad in every way possible, which again seems in contrast again with the movie its more realistic and serious approach of things.
I don't really think it's the actor's fault though. The international cast have proofed in movies before that they are some real capable actors, also in English speaking roles. Still it seems odd to me that they ever agreed to participate in this movie, considering the extreme stereotypical and also superficial roles they had to play.
But I more blame Stephen Frears for picking this approach. He's a well known and appreciated director, who has made some real hits but also misses in his career. This movie is somewhere in the middle of it. It's not good or effective enough to consider this a success movie but it's also not bad enough to label this movie as something horrible and unwatchable. It's a good looking movie that unfortunately doesn't pick the most effective approach thinkable for its subject.
6/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Dirty Pretty Things - A poetic film !
MissElmaz16 September 2004
First off I want to say that I'm not going to write about neither the plot nor the contents of this film, while it's rather unnecessary.
The best way to describe "Dirty pretty things", is in my opinion, that it is like a beautiful poem. It flows easily and because of the fact that the cast are such good actors/actresses, almost every scene in the film affects you in some way.
This is certainly not another Hollywood flick, because of the fact that it is so realistic. At times you actually forget that you are watching a film.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi López and the rest of the brilliant cast were new to me but I am going to keep following their careers, as I am hopeful that they will rise and get recognized for the great actors that they are.
I strongly recommend this film, for it is most certainly like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise monotonous movie jungle...
I easily give this film a 9 out of 10.
The best way to describe "Dirty pretty things", is in my opinion, that it is like a beautiful poem. It flows easily and because of the fact that the cast are such good actors/actresses, almost every scene in the film affects you in some way.
This is certainly not another Hollywood flick, because of the fact that it is so realistic. At times you actually forget that you are watching a film.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi López and the rest of the brilliant cast were new to me but I am going to keep following their careers, as I am hopeful that they will rise and get recognized for the great actors that they are.
I strongly recommend this film, for it is most certainly like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise monotonous movie jungle...
I easily give this film a 9 out of 10.
I left my heart in the Hotel Baltic
ianlouisiana26 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Anyone who has lived or worked in a big city in England in the last thirty years can't help but have noticed that a large proportion of workers in what used to be called the "service industries" are - for want of a better and less inflammatory word - foreign.This is not a recent occurrence.Hotel workers,restaurant staff,minicab drivers,porters,any occupation with a high turnover rate and a low profile that keeps them off the computer will suit somebody willing to work hard,often at more than one job,for not much money.Every new "underclass" that emerges occupies these badly-paid but essential jobs for a time before a fresh "underclass" arrives to take them over. Starting with Jewish immigrants in the East End during Victorian times,each group has been involved in a diaspora that has seen the area they once occupied and the jobs they once held taken over by more recent arrivals. This has traditionally been part of the Immigrant Experience in all Western countries that accept political and economic refugees. However,due to a huge increase in people claiming political asylum,many countries have found it necessary to impose restrictions on those being allowed to take up residence. One of the unlooked for side-effects of such a policy is the growth of a large sub - culture of immigrants with no legal status,no rights except those defined for them in the amorphous "Human Rights Act",and no one to speak for them when they are ill-used. "Dirty Pretty Things" attempts to redress the balance,and heaven knows it's a worthy enough motive,but sadly fails at the finish due almost entirely to it's irresistible urge to over egg the pudding. Making the main character a handsome sympathetic doctor in an attempt to bring the audience onside right from the start is far too obvious a device.There may well be one or two handsome sympathetic doctors in London working as hotel clerks and cab drivers,but I feel it is far more likely that a more representative portrayal of an illegal immigrant might be a little further down the professional scale. Contrast him with the sallow,blue-jowled,shifty-eyed bullying Immigration Officers and you have simplistic story-telling if not stereotyping,something I'm fairly certain Mr Frears is not in favour of.Add an excitable Russian and a tart with a heart and cliché is beginning to build on cliché. There are far too many holes in the plot for it to be taken seriously,so this is a "message" picture hanging on to the conventions of a thriller and we all know what Mr Goldwyn said about messages."Dirty Pretty Things" could have been a disturbing and revealing look at the depredations of the underprivileged and disenfranchised on the fringes of British society or it could have been an intriguing thriller.In trying to make it both Mr Frears has succeeded only in fudging the issues of the former and failing to grasp the essentials of the latter. By peopling his film with stock characters he has diminished whatever impact it may have had.It is significant that the only interesting role is that of "Sneaky",a man whose aberrations are all too apparent,but who is at least recognisably human .
An Urban Legend About the Socially Excluded Immigrants in London
claudio_carvalho15 September 2004
In London, the Nigerian illegal immigrant and former doctor Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) works as cab driver along the day and in the front desk of a hotel managed by Juan 'Sneaky' (Sergi López) in the graveyard shift. He shares a couch in the small flat of the Turkish illegal immigrant Senay (Audrey Tautou), who also works in the hotel as maiden. One night, the Londoner prostitute Juliette (Sophie Okonedo) asks Okwe to fix the toilet of room 510, where she 'works', and he finds a human heart obstructing it. Okwe's further investigation discloses an invisible world of traffic of human organs of illegal immigrants in London. This excellent movie has a great screenplay about the urban legend of traffic of organs of the socially excluded immigrants in London. Just as a comparison, in Brazil, thousands of children of the lower classes vanish every year. The urban legend tells that they were adopted overseas or were used in the illegal traffic of human organs, but these stories are only rumor in Internet. Therefore, this theme in an excellent script is very attractive. Stephen Frears is one of the greatest directors of the cinema history and his movies are synonym of quality. The great surprise for me was the international cast, leaded by the unknown Chiwetel Ejiofor, followed by the excellent Audrey 'Amélie Poulain' Tautou and Sergi 'Harry' López , and the also unknown Sophie Okonedo, all of them with excellent performances. 'Dirty Pretty Things' is a highly recommended film. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): 'Coisas Belas e Sujas' (Pretty and Dirty Things')
Title (Brazil): 'Coisas Belas e Sujas' (Pretty and Dirty Things')
Uneasy combination of realism and thriller
paul2001sw-19 March 2006
The tough life of London's illegal immigrants is examined sympathetically in Stephen Frears' film, 'Dirty Pretty Things'. At a time when the tabloids are up in arms about foreigners coming to British shores, it's an important subject. However, the quality of the acting is ordinary, and the use of thriller-style plotting perhaps mistaken; the whole drama hinges around a human heart, found in a toilet for no good reason. The ending is quite affecting, but Channel 4's 'Sex Traffic' was more ambitious, explicit and moving then this film, while Pavel Palinovsky's 'Last Resort' was a more poetic portrait of everyday despair. Compared with these, 'Dirty Pretty Things' is both a little contrived, and also a little dull.
Nonesense
MobileMotion27 June 2003
Apart from being shot like a TV drama, the story was ridiculous and all the characters apart from Okwe are flat and 1-dimensional, both in terms of script development and acting.
I live in a part of London where if I walk down the street and hear someone speak English I turn my head in surprised. I have immigrant neighbours from Africa, Turkey and Eastern Europe. None of them act like the characters in this film.
Frears very rarely creates any live atmosphere in this film. And some of the decisions in the story-making process are just plain stupid and wrong.
The mistake is that on the one hand we are given the feeling this is a serious drama dealing with very real and heartbreaking immigration issues. But on the other, the story is so ridiculous, particularly the final twist, that you can't take it seriously.
Typical of British film-making, this movie is caught between being entertaining and delivering some kind of social message. It does neither. I'm not surprised that most of the other reviews are written by Brits. It is obvious that Brits know nothing about movies. No wonder we can't make a decent one.
I live in a part of London where if I walk down the street and hear someone speak English I turn my head in surprised. I have immigrant neighbours from Africa, Turkey and Eastern Europe. None of them act like the characters in this film.
Frears very rarely creates any live atmosphere in this film. And some of the decisions in the story-making process are just plain stupid and wrong.
The mistake is that on the one hand we are given the feeling this is a serious drama dealing with very real and heartbreaking immigration issues. But on the other, the story is so ridiculous, particularly the final twist, that you can't take it seriously.
Typical of British film-making, this movie is caught between being entertaining and delivering some kind of social message. It does neither. I'm not surprised that most of the other reviews are written by Brits. It is obvious that Brits know nothing about movies. No wonder we can't make a decent one.
Worth seeing
Dubescfan20 November 2002
A thoroughly engaging film which I would have no hesitation in recommending. Other reviewers have given away the major elements of the plot which may mean that you may find that it takes time to "cut to the chase" if you read the comments here before you see it. You are better off seeing this film "cold" knowing neither the plot nor the players. It does tend to get a bit goarey towards the end, but not without reason. A well written, superbly acted (especially by the two leads) and expertly directed work that makes you continue to believe that cinema can still be political and make important points without hitting you over the head with a blunt instrument. My only minor crib would be the accents which can be difficult to decipher or in Tatou's case slightly off (her character is supposed to be Turkish but the accent is more Eastern European).
Interesting take on the subversive city theme
doodah36716 August 2003
Overall, 'Dirty Pretty Things' is an intriguing look at a subversive side of London - a side unseen to both indigenous residents and, most importantly, (and obviously, seeing as much of the film is set in a hotel) tourists. The narratives discusses the stories of multiple immigrants - all searching for something in London that is just impossible to find at home.
The multiplicity of the characters allows the film to present the stories of numerous immigrants - everyone has a different tale to tell. The protagonists - Okwe and Senay - come from different backgrounds and are searching for a different dream - as are many of the other, entirely more minor, characters that are encountered in the hidden and sinister environment. This is a film about how this subversive environment reacts to those it can use and abuse - I found one of the most powerful images to be the sight of blood spots on Senay's white robe clearly emphasising a distinct loss of innocence. The previously devoutly religious Senay is transformed into a girl sharing a cigarette with a prostitute - "what a couple we make".
Stephen Frear's direction is masterful, powerfully juxtaposing establishing shots of the city of London with somehow sinister interiors of businesses filled with illegal immigrants - showing how dark the city can be when the surface is scratched. The lead performances are masterful - Audrey Tatou in particular following up on her success in 'Amelie' with a superb performance, proving herself to be a top quality actress.
However, despite all the goodness, the story never seems to go far enough and left me feel a little disappointed. Okwe, in particular, is never really developed fully, and his late character turns, despite adding another depth to his character, feel a little hasty and rushed. This really could have been the British film of 2002 but, somehow, it falls just that little bit short. Still definitely worth a look.
7
The multiplicity of the characters allows the film to present the stories of numerous immigrants - everyone has a different tale to tell. The protagonists - Okwe and Senay - come from different backgrounds and are searching for a different dream - as are many of the other, entirely more minor, characters that are encountered in the hidden and sinister environment. This is a film about how this subversive environment reacts to those it can use and abuse - I found one of the most powerful images to be the sight of blood spots on Senay's white robe clearly emphasising a distinct loss of innocence. The previously devoutly religious Senay is transformed into a girl sharing a cigarette with a prostitute - "what a couple we make".
Stephen Frear's direction is masterful, powerfully juxtaposing establishing shots of the city of London with somehow sinister interiors of businesses filled with illegal immigrants - showing how dark the city can be when the surface is scratched. The lead performances are masterful - Audrey Tatou in particular following up on her success in 'Amelie' with a superb performance, proving herself to be a top quality actress.
However, despite all the goodness, the story never seems to go far enough and left me feel a little disappointed. Okwe, in particular, is never really developed fully, and his late character turns, despite adding another depth to his character, feel a little hasty and rushed. This really could have been the British film of 2002 but, somehow, it falls just that little bit short. Still definitely worth a look.
7
You wouldn't believe how some people will degrade themselves to survive...
Howlin Wolf31 May 2005
... I have to be honest and say that before I sat down to watch, I hadn't given much thought to the subject, myself. Maybe it's the suburban boy in me. Often you don't notice the true depths of depravity to be found in most cities unless you actively go looking for it.
This happens to be about the underbelly of London; and what practises are reputed to - and may or may not - go on there. In this particular treatment, such activities are allowed to continue because the people caught up in them aren't citizens. 'Developed' society prefers to deny them a workable route of admittance for many of their circumstances;, so the best attitude seems to be to ignore how they have to live until such time as they go away. Of course, the logical outcome of such a way of thinking is a marked increase in illegal/immoral activity; but somehow the people who wish to turn a blind eye can't understand that eventually the overall effects will begin to seep onto THEIR doorstep... You do indeed tend to reap what you sow.
For those lucky enough to be ignorant of the sorts of happenings that take place on the streets, one can only say that this film is an eye-opener. Too often we walk around blind to the foreign nationals who do a lot of our menial jobs for us. It's not expected that we take notice of our cab drivers, chamber-maids, and yes; even our sex-slaves. Pity we don't pay more attention, because that often isn't ALL they do; and the burden of truth should heap shame on civilisation as a whole. These issues are handled brilliantly in "Dirty Pretty Things" by all of the creative team involved. See it to humble yourselves with this sobering reminder: The face you slap on your way up may belong to the same owner of the feet you're kissing at your lowest ebb.
This happens to be about the underbelly of London; and what practises are reputed to - and may or may not - go on there. In this particular treatment, such activities are allowed to continue because the people caught up in them aren't citizens. 'Developed' society prefers to deny them a workable route of admittance for many of their circumstances;, so the best attitude seems to be to ignore how they have to live until such time as they go away. Of course, the logical outcome of such a way of thinking is a marked increase in illegal/immoral activity; but somehow the people who wish to turn a blind eye can't understand that eventually the overall effects will begin to seep onto THEIR doorstep... You do indeed tend to reap what you sow.
For those lucky enough to be ignorant of the sorts of happenings that take place on the streets, one can only say that this film is an eye-opener. Too often we walk around blind to the foreign nationals who do a lot of our menial jobs for us. It's not expected that we take notice of our cab drivers, chamber-maids, and yes; even our sex-slaves. Pity we don't pay more attention, because that often isn't ALL they do; and the burden of truth should heap shame on civilisation as a whole. These issues are handled brilliantly in "Dirty Pretty Things" by all of the creative team involved. See it to humble yourselves with this sobering reminder: The face you slap on your way up may belong to the same owner of the feet you're kissing at your lowest ebb.
Tough story, good acting
guisperpor27 September 2004
A story about immigration in Europe; about two human beings who struggle for a decent life in a First World that won't let them achieve it by regular means,thus leaving them alone in the hands of evil and corruption.
It portraits the diverse characters with accuracy and harshness, thanks to efficient acting by Audrey Tatou and Sergi Lopez, in his best role after "Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien". The film has a 'not-so-Happy,sweet jet sour ending,that leaves the characters almost where they started. Stephen Frears,once again, makes his most personal movies in Europe,where he seems to have a higher extent of freedom for shooting stories like this one, that need more risks to be assumed.
It portraits the diverse characters with accuracy and harshness, thanks to efficient acting by Audrey Tatou and Sergi Lopez, in his best role after "Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien". The film has a 'not-so-Happy,sweet jet sour ending,that leaves the characters almost where they started. Stephen Frears,once again, makes his most personal movies in Europe,where he seems to have a higher extent of freedom for shooting stories like this one, that need more risks to be assumed.
Dirty Pretty Things by Stephen Frears - is one of the 2003 best films
Galina_movie_fan18 June 2004
"Dirty Pretty Things," a film directed by Stephen Frears is not quite a thriller, romance or a drama, but it does manage to fit all three successfully.
An illegal immigrant in London (Chiwetel Ejiofor), working a day job as a cab driver and a hotel clerk in the Baltic Hotel at nights, discovers a human heart stuck in the bottom of a hotel room toilet one night and worries about what goes on behind the closed doors of his hotel. In the meantime, he develops a friendship with an immigrant woman from Turkey (Audrey Tatou ) who is also just trying to get by first as a maid in the hotel, then, as a seamstress in a sweatshop.
Acting by everybody, especially by two leads is wonderful. I am so glad to see Tatou in the part very different from her Amelie. The story is gripping; and we see London the way we have not seen it before and did not even know that London exists.
An engrossing human drama, stylish noir, social commentary, lives of immigrants, characters study - with the characters deep, human, and very real. No cheap pulling the strings, no manipulation. As a result -one of the best films of the last year.
And that ending.... Fans of "Lost in Translation" - watch "Dirty Pretty Things", and then we'll talk about what the good ending is.
An illegal immigrant in London (Chiwetel Ejiofor), working a day job as a cab driver and a hotel clerk in the Baltic Hotel at nights, discovers a human heart stuck in the bottom of a hotel room toilet one night and worries about what goes on behind the closed doors of his hotel. In the meantime, he develops a friendship with an immigrant woman from Turkey (Audrey Tatou ) who is also just trying to get by first as a maid in the hotel, then, as a seamstress in a sweatshop.
Acting by everybody, especially by two leads is wonderful. I am so glad to see Tatou in the part very different from her Amelie. The story is gripping; and we see London the way we have not seen it before and did not even know that London exists.
An engrossing human drama, stylish noir, social commentary, lives of immigrants, characters study - with the characters deep, human, and very real. No cheap pulling the strings, no manipulation. As a result -one of the best films of the last year.
And that ending.... Fans of "Lost in Translation" - watch "Dirty Pretty Things", and then we'll talk about what the good ending is.
spot on, almost
GiselleCorrelli24 May 2014
Apart from the prostitute girl not being a very good actress and sounding scripted, I do love this film. AT LAST someone has made a film about something that the tourists don't see; far fetched things that really do happen. The immigration men don't really act as bad as that (human rights etc). But we need more of these gritty true life films, to open everyones eyes. People vanish without a trace, London is a big magnet that draws people in, especially people who were lost in the first place. I've also heard that one of the film makers is Romany gypsy, Im very pleased about this because being Romany myself I know its hard to get a chance.
Toronto Film Festival favorite
Art Snob10 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Among the 18 non-documentary films that I saw at last year's Toronto Film Festival, this new Stephen Frears offering was my favorite. It isn't often that a cutting-edge foreign director who's taken a dip in Hollywood waters can ever recapture the style and flair that got him noticed by Hollywood in the first place, but it would seem that French actress Audrey Tatou is a good-luck charm for a director attempting to perform such a feat. 2001 festival winner AMELIE resurrected Jean-Pierre Jeunet from the wreckage of ALIEN RESURRECTION, and now, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS makes for a supremely satisfying return to Frears' glory year of 1987, when he came out with the `real London' back-to-back art house successes that were SAMMY AND ROSIE GET LAID and PRICK UP YOUR EARS. Frears was honored with a retrospective at the festival in 2000, and if tributes like these can provoke similar return-to-form efforts from other directors ... I can sure suggest some names!
I have only two minor cavils with the film. One is with Tatou being cast as an illegally-working Turkish immigrant in London. Only the most culturally-illiterate of viewers could ever buy her as being Turkish (she only makes a token effort at the accent). But once you get past this minor annoyance, her performance is otherwise excellent and a savvy career choice. (Nothing like a trip to all-too-real London to avoid becoming over-identified with fantasyland Paris!) The other is with the morality of the lead character, a former Nigerian doctor known only as `Okwe,' who's on the lam from a crime he was framed for after his medical ethics clashed with the wishes of state authorities. It's a great, compelling performance from unknown-in-America Chiwetel Ejiofor -- one that's sure to bring him plenty of North American roles - but in retrospect, his character is just a little TOO morally upstanding to be fully credible.
The film deals with a compelling subject - the hand-to-mouth existence eked out by the huge numbers of illegal immigrants (and illegally-working immigrants) who do all of the bottom-rung work that nobody else wants to do in a teeming western metropolis. Okwe has two jobs that leave him next to no time for any kind of personal life -- a daytime cab driver and graveyard shift hotel night porter. He tries to resist letting anyone know that he's really a doctor, but his cab boss knows, and this forces him to maintain some low-level ties to the medical community. Later, some detective work at the hotel leads to him discovering a black-market operation in human organs being run by his hotel boss.
As you can probably surmise, another painful medical moment of truth looms in the doctor's future following this discovery. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you've ever been disappointed by a film where the payoff wasn't worthy of the setup (and who hasn't?), you can rest assured that DIRTY PRETTY THINGS is definitely NOT one of these cases. The final stages of the story arc are VERY reminiscent of a certain Hollywood classic, but I'll leave it to the professional critics to do the spoiling.
The casting of the movie is superb ... the first question from the audience for Frears following the screening was `Where did you get all of those fantastic actors?' Normally, such generic audience questions elicit groans, but in THIS case, it seemed like a perfectly legitimate inquiry. Besides Ejiofor and Tatou, there's also Sergi Lopez in his first English language role (following previous French festival hits AN AFFAIR OF LOVE and WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY) as Okwe's hotel boss. Oozing the kind of ersatz charm that you love to hate, he's great as a scoundrel who's convinced himself that he's doing everyone involved in his racket a favor. Supporting players Sophie Oknonedo as a prostitute doing regular business at the hotel and Benedict Wong as Okwe's mortician friend provide some great comic relief to the often grim and tense proceedings. Add in more colorful extras than you'd find in a Guy Ritchie movie (with BRITISH Brits existing strictly as peripheral characters) to flesh out Steve Knight's great script and you've got a crowd-pleasing winner.
The presence of the Miramax banner put me on high `tampering alert' when watching the movie, but all I saw was vintage Frears. And he claimed during the Q&A that this is HIS movie ... `any mistakes you see on the screen are mine' were his words. The film was well-placed in the `Masters' Program at the festival and is one to definitely be looking for in commercial release. It SCREAMS for a Hispanic American remake . much more so than EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN ever did.
I have only two minor cavils with the film. One is with Tatou being cast as an illegally-working Turkish immigrant in London. Only the most culturally-illiterate of viewers could ever buy her as being Turkish (she only makes a token effort at the accent). But once you get past this minor annoyance, her performance is otherwise excellent and a savvy career choice. (Nothing like a trip to all-too-real London to avoid becoming over-identified with fantasyland Paris!) The other is with the morality of the lead character, a former Nigerian doctor known only as `Okwe,' who's on the lam from a crime he was framed for after his medical ethics clashed with the wishes of state authorities. It's a great, compelling performance from unknown-in-America Chiwetel Ejiofor -- one that's sure to bring him plenty of North American roles - but in retrospect, his character is just a little TOO morally upstanding to be fully credible.
The film deals with a compelling subject - the hand-to-mouth existence eked out by the huge numbers of illegal immigrants (and illegally-working immigrants) who do all of the bottom-rung work that nobody else wants to do in a teeming western metropolis. Okwe has two jobs that leave him next to no time for any kind of personal life -- a daytime cab driver and graveyard shift hotel night porter. He tries to resist letting anyone know that he's really a doctor, but his cab boss knows, and this forces him to maintain some low-level ties to the medical community. Later, some detective work at the hotel leads to him discovering a black-market operation in human organs being run by his hotel boss.
As you can probably surmise, another painful medical moment of truth looms in the doctor's future following this discovery. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you've ever been disappointed by a film where the payoff wasn't worthy of the setup (and who hasn't?), you can rest assured that DIRTY PRETTY THINGS is definitely NOT one of these cases. The final stages of the story arc are VERY reminiscent of a certain Hollywood classic, but I'll leave it to the professional critics to do the spoiling.
The casting of the movie is superb ... the first question from the audience for Frears following the screening was `Where did you get all of those fantastic actors?' Normally, such generic audience questions elicit groans, but in THIS case, it seemed like a perfectly legitimate inquiry. Besides Ejiofor and Tatou, there's also Sergi Lopez in his first English language role (following previous French festival hits AN AFFAIR OF LOVE and WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY) as Okwe's hotel boss. Oozing the kind of ersatz charm that you love to hate, he's great as a scoundrel who's convinced himself that he's doing everyone involved in his racket a favor. Supporting players Sophie Oknonedo as a prostitute doing regular business at the hotel and Benedict Wong as Okwe's mortician friend provide some great comic relief to the often grim and tense proceedings. Add in more colorful extras than you'd find in a Guy Ritchie movie (with BRITISH Brits existing strictly as peripheral characters) to flesh out Steve Knight's great script and you've got a crowd-pleasing winner.
The presence of the Miramax banner put me on high `tampering alert' when watching the movie, but all I saw was vintage Frears. And he claimed during the Q&A that this is HIS movie ... `any mistakes you see on the screen are mine' were his words. The film was well-placed in the `Masters' Program at the festival and is one to definitely be looking for in commercial release. It SCREAMS for a Hispanic American remake . much more so than EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN ever did.
interesting, downbeat, intelligent
cherold17 December 2004
While this movie has a story, and even a pretty good ending, it is really primarily concerned with portraying the difficulties and indignations of being an illegal immigrant. It's all pretty grim but very interesting and it is the sort of movie that should make you feel for these people, although I saw one comment here from someone who seemed to reject the possibility that these people have a hard life, so I guess if your mind is made up this movie won't change it.
I liked this movie but I can't say I loved it. I feel it's difficult to love, both because its grim and because because the characters are perhaps a bit too simply drawn. It can also veer into cartooniness, as in the almost mustache-twirling evilness of the immigration investigators. But it does keep your interest and has a very satisfactory ending.
I liked this movie but I can't say I loved it. I feel it's difficult to love, both because its grim and because because the characters are perhaps a bit too simply drawn. It can also veer into cartooniness, as in the almost mustache-twirling evilness of the immigration investigators. But it does keep your interest and has a very satisfactory ending.
Alien invasion
carlos.virgile-318 December 2002
I've always doubt of films with an international cast speaking in English. A multi-accent approach that should be sufficient reason to keep anyone away from the idea of joining the Brussels euro-bureaucrats. In this case however this approach is totally justified. The film is about immigrants to the UK, "aliens" searching for a better life at any cost. How much are human beings prepared to pay for escaping injustice, poverty or a repressive society? Or are they escaping from something else and their aim to live in an apparent "free world" totally misdirected? Isn't this new Home to some extent just a milder version of the same corrupted world and the bleak poor quality of life they believe to have left behind?
Stephan Frears takes a straight, almost dead-pan approach to the styling of the film making it more like a docu-drama, a journalistic approach which seems totally appropriate to the story and its characters. To "stylised" the film is a manner more appropriate when filming Les Liaisons Dangereous. In the case of Dirty Pretty Things we're closer to Frears roots when telling small local stories of immigrations and marginal lives. There are however touches of corrosive humour in the characters and situations. It reminded me of Lindsay Anderson' Britannia Hospital or O'Lucky man, certainly in the description of a sad and rather hostile Britain where the unbelievable can happen but also in the changes of pace from drama to almost surreal situation comedy.
It is great to see a British film that deal with a current problem and not with east-end gangster boys , adaptation of Jane Austen novels or false descriptions of Notting Hill Gate. The acting is also excellent, with sweet "Amelie" Tatou leaving Montmatre well behind and Chiwetel Ejiofor giving a subtle but effective performance although the character is sometimes a bit too good to be true.
What I did like best is that there is no final moralising with the exception of the fact that Sergi Lopez, the organ selling ring leader, get what he deserves. Both characters get away with their intentions, and rightly or wrongly they leave us to start what they believe to be a better life.
I wish them well.
Stephan Frears takes a straight, almost dead-pan approach to the styling of the film making it more like a docu-drama, a journalistic approach which seems totally appropriate to the story and its characters. To "stylised" the film is a manner more appropriate when filming Les Liaisons Dangereous. In the case of Dirty Pretty Things we're closer to Frears roots when telling small local stories of immigrations and marginal lives. There are however touches of corrosive humour in the characters and situations. It reminded me of Lindsay Anderson' Britannia Hospital or O'Lucky man, certainly in the description of a sad and rather hostile Britain where the unbelievable can happen but also in the changes of pace from drama to almost surreal situation comedy.
It is great to see a British film that deal with a current problem and not with east-end gangster boys , adaptation of Jane Austen novels or false descriptions of Notting Hill Gate. The acting is also excellent, with sweet "Amelie" Tatou leaving Montmatre well behind and Chiwetel Ejiofor giving a subtle but effective performance although the character is sometimes a bit too good to be true.
What I did like best is that there is no final moralising with the exception of the fact that Sergi Lopez, the organ selling ring leader, get what he deserves. Both characters get away with their intentions, and rightly or wrongly they leave us to start what they believe to be a better life.
I wish them well.
Dark, Different, and Tense
view_and_review12 February 2021
This movie was dark, different, and tense. "Dirty Pretty Things" set the tone early, not with anything bizarre, violent, or disgusting, just with the chords and color. The music was always slow, somber, and slightly edgy. The lighting had a dark tint to it even when it was daylight as if to say, "This is not a happy movie."
A bellboy named Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) found a human heart in the toilet of one of the rooms in the Baltic Hotel in London. Why is there a heart of any creature--let alone human--in the toilet? How does Okwe, a bellboy, recognize it as a human heart? And why is his boss, Juan (Sergi Lopez), so nonchalant about it? Mysteries abound.
The Baltic Hotel and its goings-on was a page out of a book of urban legends. Foreigners were offering up their organs for citizenship. Some didn't survive. Okwe found himself smack-dab in the middle of the whole affair when his Turkish female roommate, Senay (Audrey Tautou), was in desperate need of a passport. Both she and Okwe were not legal citizens of the U.K., but while Okwe was able to successfully elude the Immigration Enforcement Directive, Senay could not, which meant she was even more vulnerable than your average illegal immigrant. And a female illegal immigrant with no family is not something you want to be.
"Dirty Pretty Things" was fraught with tension over our delicate and largely innocent Senay. There was much anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust throughout the movie with very few moments of levity. "Dirty Pretty Things" was not a political piece with a didactic message about the vulnerability of immigrants. It's a human piece about the evils that men do of all cultures and the love that can develop even amongst so much darkness and despair.
A bellboy named Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) found a human heart in the toilet of one of the rooms in the Baltic Hotel in London. Why is there a heart of any creature--let alone human--in the toilet? How does Okwe, a bellboy, recognize it as a human heart? And why is his boss, Juan (Sergi Lopez), so nonchalant about it? Mysteries abound.
The Baltic Hotel and its goings-on was a page out of a book of urban legends. Foreigners were offering up their organs for citizenship. Some didn't survive. Okwe found himself smack-dab in the middle of the whole affair when his Turkish female roommate, Senay (Audrey Tautou), was in desperate need of a passport. Both she and Okwe were not legal citizens of the U.K., but while Okwe was able to successfully elude the Immigration Enforcement Directive, Senay could not, which meant she was even more vulnerable than your average illegal immigrant. And a female illegal immigrant with no family is not something you want to be.
"Dirty Pretty Things" was fraught with tension over our delicate and largely innocent Senay. There was much anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust throughout the movie with very few moments of levity. "Dirty Pretty Things" was not a political piece with a didactic message about the vulnerability of immigrants. It's a human piece about the evils that men do of all cultures and the love that can develop even amongst so much darkness and despair.
Hackneyed stereotypes.
wisewebwoman28 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This is not a reflection of the emigrant experience in England. I found so many plot holes that I could have made a colander. *****SPOILER WARNING**** Only the heart was flushed down the toilet? Where did the rest of the body go? Why the heart? Senay goes from not even wanting the guy to sleep on her couch to wanting to live with him? I did not see the transition of feelings here? And how on earth did Senay propose to get into the U.S. with a British passport, did she not need a visa? And even though his wife is dead Okwe wants nothing to do with Senay romantically? And going back to Nigeria under a false passport is going to allow him to now be a father to his daughter? And finally, there were more but I have forgotten, the whore with the heart of gold, how original is that plot device???!!!*****END OF SPOILERS***** This movie was highly recommended to me. I went in with the expectation of being entertained but within about five minutes I was just annoyed at all the contrivances. The black and white characters, no grey shadings whatsoever. And the ending, as if he didn't know what to do with the loose bits. I thought there'd be a death but I was disappointed. 5 out of 10. A waste of time.
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