Dirty Pretty Things (2003)
94 %
Reviews Counted: 134 Fresh: 126 Rotten:8 Average Rating: 7.8/10
Consensus:
An illuminating and nuanced film about the exploitation of illegal immigrants.
Rated: R [See Full Rating]
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
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 new life for himself in London, where he works days as a taxi driver and nights as a hotel desk... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Chjwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo, Zlatko Buric
Director: Stephen Frears
Screenwriter: Steven Knight
Producer: Tracey Seaward, Robert Jones
Composer: Nathan Larson
Screenwriter: Stephen Morris
Screenwriter: Steven Knight
Producer: Tracey Seaward, Robert Jones
Composer: Nathan Larson
Screenwriter: Stephen Morris
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Here he strikes a perfect balance between social commentary and melodrama, while nudging his actors to turn potentially stereotypical figures (eg, a virginal waif, a golden-hearted whore, a philosophical Chinese) into three-dimensional people.
Comment
11/27/07
An intelligent and extremely well-made romantic drama that tells an intriguing story with economy and insight.
11/27/07
Top Critic
An impressive mix of entertainment and social comment, spinning a great mystery even as it confronts an ugly world.
11/27/07
Top Critic
Dirty Pretty Things benefits from the best script...hands down, written for a movie released in 2003
08/21/06
A sympathetic, engaging and politically astute slice of modern urban realism, set in the twilight world of London's community of recent immigrants and asylum seekers, and directed with Frears' habitual professionalism and sensitivity.
01/26/06
Weaving threads of classic thrillers through this gritty realistic context, Frears satisfies our desire for a good story.
01/15/05
...an incredibly entertaining picture with a first-rate ensemble cast. It seems to unwind at precisely the right pace, and its gritty look is never ostentatiously "beautiful"
01/08/05
Even when bad things happen to these people, one can't help but believe that things will one day get better.
09/05/04
The synchronicity between script, stars and cinematography falls square on the shoulders of Frears, however, and he fully realizes the potential.
05/21/04
When is a thriller not a thriller? When British director Stephen Frears makes it.
04/27/04
It’s the didactic dialogue... and the plot contrivances... that might produce snickers.
04/16/04
A quirky, gritty look at life in the London underworld where immigrants work crappy jobs and trade kidneys for citizenship.
03/25/04
Like Ejiofor’s role, Dirty Pretty Things is nonpareil; they remain in a league of their own. They also belong in a small league for 2003: that which may not be missed.
12/31/03
In 'Dirty Pretty Things,' filmmakers weave complex story threads into a cinematic tapestry of fear, suspense and compassion.
12/19/03
A film that will leave most people who actually see it feeling moderately impressed, but uneasily aware that they are not being told anything approaching the whole truth.
12/15/03
Related Forums
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS gives the nameless, faceless horde of illegals a name & a face?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS gives the nameless, faceless horde of illegals a name & a face?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS gives the nameless, faceless horde of illegals a name & a face?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS gives the nameless, faceless horde of illegals a name & a face?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/4/05
It's a dirty world out there!
by: Helen Wheels 12/15/03
by: Helen Wheels 12/15/03
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