Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writer:

Steven Knight (written by)

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Some things are too dangerous to keep secret.

Plot:

An illegal Nigerian immigrant discovers the unpalatable side of London life.

Plot Keywords:

Nigerian | Hotel | Turkish | Toilet | Heart

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 16 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Okwe
Kriss Dosanjh	...	Asian Businessman
Israel Aduramo	...	Mini Cab Driver
Yemi Ajibade	...	Mini Cab Driver (as Ade-Yemi Ajibade)
Nizwar Karanj	...	Mini Cab Driver
Deobia Oparei	...	Mini Cab Driver
Jeffery Kissoon	...	Cab Controller
Zlatko Buric	...	Ivan
Audrey Tautou	...	Senay Gelik
Sophie Okonedo	...	Juliette
Sergi López	...	Sneaky / Juan
Benedict Wong	...	Guo Yi
Kenan Hudaverdi	...	Cafe Owner
Damon Younger	...	Punter
Paul Bhattacharjee	...	Mohammed

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, disturbing images and language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Somali

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Brazil:18 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Damien O'Donnell was originally attached to direct, but he decided to pass after problems with Harvey Weinstein. He directed Heartlands (2002) instead.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Guo Yi says the mythological figure who ferries the dead to Hades is Pylades; in fact the ferryman's name is Charon. Pylades is the companion of Orestes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Okwe: Do you want a car? Ten pounds, Theatreland. Car? London? You want a taxi? Buckingham Palace.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Spot: Zlatko Buric (#3.6)" (2005)

Dirty Pretty Things - A poetic film !

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.