RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Dirty Pretty Things
Dirty Pretty Things

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Dirty Pretty Things (2003)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
92 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:34

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.8/10

Consensus: An illuminating and nuanced film about the exploitation of illegal immigrants.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] sexual content, disturbing images and language

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Jul 18, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $7,953,388

Synopsis: Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a remarkably understated performance in director Stephen Frears's offbeat and gripping drama DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. Ejiofor stars as Okwe, a Nigerian who is trying to make a... Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a remarkably understated performance in director Stephen Frears's offbeat and gripping drama DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. Ejiofor stars as Okwe, a Nigerian who is trying to make a new life for himself in London, where he works days as a taxi driver and nights as a hotel desk receptionist. When he discovers a human heart in a hotel-room bathroom, he cannot go to the police because he is an illegal alien with a mysterious past that he refuses to talk about. Suddenly he is thrust into the middle of a dangerous situation that threatens to have tragic results for him and those around him. French ingenue Audrey Tautou costars as a Turkish woman who has sought asylum in England, where she is allowed to live but not work. But she must make money, so she works secretly while the government tries to catch her. Benedict Wong turns in a fine supporting performance as Guo Yi, a morgue employee who shares wise and humorous sayings with Okwe, and Sergi Lopez is absolutely chilling as the amorally opportunistic hotel manager. Frears directs the unusual proceedings with a deft hand, slowly revealing secrets that are as gruesome as they are poignant. [More]

Starring: Chjwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo

Starring: Chjwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo, Zlatko Buric, Benedict Wong

Director: Stephen Frears

Director: Stephen Frears
Screenwriter: Steven Knight
Producer: Tracey Seaward, Robert Jones
Composer: Nathan Larson
Screenwriter: Stephen Morris
Studio: Miramax Films

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 7

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Mar 23, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Dirty Pretty Things
  • From Stephen Frears, the Oscar(R)-nominated director of THE GRIFTERS (Best Director, 1990) and DANGEROUS LIAISONS, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS stars Audrey Tautou (AMELIE) in a harrowing tale of struggle and survival for two immigrants who learn that everything is for sale in London's secret underworld! Part of an invisible working class, Nigerian exile Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Turkish chambermaid Senay (Tautou) toil at a west London hotel that is full of illegal activity. Then late one night Okwe makes a shocking discovery, which creates an impossible dilemma and tests the limits of all they know! Honored with numerous European film awards and nominations -- including wins at the London Critics Circle Film Awards and the Venice Film Festival -- you'll find this gritty urban thriller to be thoroughly engrossing and impossible to forget!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Dirty Pretty Things

    • T-Meter Critics
    • Top Critics
    • RT Community
    • My Critics
    • My Friends
    • DVD
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 >> >|
    Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
     
     

    An intelligent and extremely well-made romantic drama that tells an intriguing story with economy and insight.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    11/27/07
    David Stratton
    David Stratton
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    An impressive mix of entertainment and social comment, spinning a great mystery even as it confronts an ugly world.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    11/27/07
    J. R. Jones
    J. R. Jones
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Ejiofor, a veteran British stage actor, is well cast.

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    08/15/03
    Jeff Strickler
    Jeff Strickler
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This is a sordid story but ultimately not a depressing one.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    08/15/03
    Eric Harrison
    Eric Harrison
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Few movies create such perfect pitch among character, plot and setting.

    Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
    08/15/03
    Vic Vogler
    Vic Vogler
    Denver Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Although the film delves into an interesting topic -- black marketeers trading in human flesh -- the approach is far too clinical.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    08/15/03
    Bill Muller
    Bill Muller
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Quietly mesmerizing and emotionally satisfying.

    Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
    08/15/03
    Robert Denerstein
    Robert Denerstein
    Denver Rocky Mountain News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Throughout his career, Frears has taken chances, and only on rare occasions has he missed the mark. Dirty Pretty Things is right on target.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    08/03/03
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Half love story, half horror story, it's like an urban legend with a conscience.

    Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
    08/02/03
    Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
    Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If you go with the film -- and I did -- it will be because the quiet empathy of the central performances carries you over the plot holes.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The acting is superb in Dirty Pretty Things, especially Ejiofor as the embattled Okwe and Tautou as the exploited Senay.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Peter Howell
    Peter Howell
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A classic piece of Frears's fine carpentry.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Liam Lacey
    Liam Lacey
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It ponders human worth, physical and emotional, with a mix of outrage and tenderness that's hard to fault.

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Tom Long
    Tom Long
    Detroit News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Dirty Pretty Things is in fact dirty and pretty, reminding us how much beauty there can be in the things we would rather not see.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It offers as its hero an extraordinary fellow: He's an authentic moral being who, though the universe has gone all twisty-crazy into greed, mendacity and manipulation, nevertheless clings to his own code.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Stephen Hunter
    Stephen Hunter
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A unique gem.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Frears and his writer, Steve Knight, use the power of the thriller and avoid the weaknesses in giving us, really, two movies for the price of one.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    08/01/03
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [Frears'] finest, most polished, provocative work in a decade.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    07/31/03
    Jane Sumner
    Jane Sumner
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    As remarkably moving as Ejiofor's redemptive performance.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    07/31/03
    Carrie Rickey
    Carrie Rickey
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A suspense movie that works bracingly well as a genre thriller while also offering gems of social portraiture and a lacerating expose of current conditions among illegal London aliens.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    07/31/03
    Michael Wilmington
    Michael Wilmington
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 >> >|
    all

    Latest News for Dirty Pretty Things

    November 28, 2007: Total Recall: Malice and Medicine
    Imagine what it might be like if you needed surgery.  You're more than a little nervous about the whole idea.  In fact when you think about it, you'll admit you're... More...

    May 19, 2006: Naomi & Viggo to Make "Promises" with Cronenberg
    After "A History of Violence," a whole bunch of us want to know what David Cronenberg's next project will be, and it looks like it'll be something called "Eastern... More...

    February 15, 2006: Cronenberg to Make Some "Eastern Promises"
    True, he just signed on last week to direct a flick called "Maps to the Stars," but there's certainly nothing wrong with lining up the next gig while that awards buzz... More...

    August 24, 2005: Danny Boyle's "Sun" Begins to Shine
    Thanks to ComingSoon.net for sharing a press release from Fox Searchlight regarding Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" -- and the fact that it began shooting yesterday. More...

    See All

    More DVDs

    Close
    Top Rentals
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    36% 36% Angels & Demons
    25% 25% Four Christmases
    68% 68% Funny People
    95% 95% Star Trek
    14% 14% The Ugly Truth

    More Rentals…

    New On DVD This Week
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    32% 32% Terminator Salvation
    44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
    86% 86% A Christmas Tale
    60% 60% Paper Heart

    More New Releases…

    RT On Current TV

    DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196

    What’s Hot On RT

    Nine Pictures

    Nine Pictures

    Hottest poster ever? 14 pictures from Nine

    Disney Countdown

    Disney Countdown

    Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

    RT's Gift Guide

    RT's Gift Guide

    Give the best movies, gear, and more!

    Natalie Portman

    Natalie Portman

    See what her 10 best reviewed films are!

    Other News

    Close
    • Top Stories
    • Popular
    • Interviews
     
     

    Comments

     
     
    Top Stories
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
    13
    • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
    16
    • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
    21
    • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
    40
    • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
    2
    • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
    156
    • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
    56
    • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
    14
    • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
    18
    • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
    9
    Popular
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
    101
    • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
    96
    • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
    55
    • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
    38
    • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
    35
    • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
    28
    • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
    20
    • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
    17
    • 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced
    7
    • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
    5
    Interviews
    Headlines Comments
      
    • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
    17
    • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
    11
    • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
    21
    • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
    8
    • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
    15
    • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
    22
    • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
    9
    • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
    28
    • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
    28
    • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
    14
     
     

    Sponsored Links

    Around The Network

    • Dirty Pretty Things at Rotten Tomatoes
    • Dirty Pretty Things at IGN
    • Dirty Pretty Things at AskMen

    Fresh Links

    Featured
    History of Disney Animation
    History of Disney Animation External Link

    MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

    90 Years of Screen Vampires
    90 Years of Screen Vampires External Link

    TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

    Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones
    Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones External Link

    Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

    Recent Headlines as TV Movies
    Recent Headlines as TV Movies External Link

    AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

    Promos
    Follow RT on Twitter
    Follow RT on Twitter External Link

    Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

     
     
    About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
    IGN Logo

    IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
    TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
    AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


    By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
    Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
    IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
    Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.