Believe it or not – it is a lot of fun to watch – despite the eerie subject matter.
Dirty Pretty Things (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:136
Fresh:128
Rotten:8
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
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Release:
Mar 23, 2004
Reviews for Dirty Pretty Things
These are characters that draw you in and make you care, making it impossible to pull away.
In the grand tradition of visceral fiction, a physical response to a spiritual injustice.
This is the sort of film that requires your full attention -- and then amply rewards it with a wealth of nuances.
Lopez has so often been cast as an affable Teddy Bear that it's a real treat to see him inhabit this amoral schemer.
Director Stephen Frears always has been good at exploring life's hidden corners. He proves it once again in Dirty Pretty Things, an intense and thoughtful thriller set in a world that's virtually invisible to society at large.
Too didactic by half, but when it works it pulses with a bracing nihilism.
The film is awfully good at the chess of life, and its driven moves are topped by sentiment that is not only forgivable but entirely earned.
Employs a disturbing mystery to frame a broader tale of international injustice, a poignant plea for open door border policies that lingers long after the credits roll.
It is Frears' sure directorial hand, along with some deft performances, that keeps Dirty Pretty Things from ever edging into the risible.
Few movies create such perfect pitch among character, plot and setting.
Dirty Pretty Things benefits from deft direction, substantive plotting, and likable leads.
Although the film delves into an interesting topic -- black marketeers trading in human flesh -- the approach is far too clinical.
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| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
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