Dirty Pretty Things Reviews

A thriller with a message

A beautifully acted and very moving account of the lives of illegal workers. A savage indictment of the way we treat the people who do our dirty work. Powerful, sad but ultimately uplifting portayal of the ingenuity and strength of the human spirit. It certainly exposes the hypocracy of the editors of the Daily Mail, who's offices and homes are cleaned by the very people they castigate and rail against every day in the pages of their newspaper

Challenges nothing.

This is niave rubbish. Those that wrote that it is a challenging film need to get out more, Really! It is didactic and worse shows that no-one assiocated with the making of this film has a clue about the complex issues of immigration and immigrants. Those who think otherwise are quite probably middle class natives to their own country fantasising that they can empathise with the immigrant's plight because they think they will get a girl-guides badge for their endeavours.

The acting was shocking too. The only accomplishment in this film is AT's Turkish accent which was quite good considering she is French speaking in English - My wife is Turkish so I am not bad judge.

Those who want a challenging and more honest look at immigration or more specifically race relations (as that's what its really all about isn't it?) should try either Crash or Lars von Trier's Road to Manderlay.

NAIVE AND UNCONVINCING

This is a naive film. The relationship between Okwe and Senay is very unconvincing and naive. Why did Okwe not reciprocate Senay's love practically. It seems annoying and awkward when Okwe is told that Senay is in love with him, he has to scold her for that. If this film claims to pride itself on realism, anybody in Okwe's position would have fallen in love with Senay. This makes the film far from satisfying.

The brutal, shocking truth?

This film is darkly interesting and shocking. Because its plot and characters are not so removed from the reality of what its like to be an illegal immigrant. The shocking reality of the people who use and take advantage of immigrants and the things the immigrants will do to get papers and money. The two lead actors were very good and watchable. People are indeed dirty pretty things.

Next big thing

Incredible movie - so not what I expected (which was a high brow, art house, art-for-arts-sake fest, I think). It was gripping, touching, clever, engrossing - all in all top notch, top hole... Audrey Tatou's charming, Sophie Okenedo fabulous and Chewitel Ejiofor is the most exciting new actor I've seen in a feature for 10+ years. Watch out for this boy winning Oscars.

Rent this film.

“Dirty Pretty Things” works successfully as a thriller, as a love story and as a dramatic study of the experiences of immigrants to the UK. These strands interweave organically and do not get in each other’s way. The two central characters are beautifully played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou and they are well supported.

The plot perhaps dances around plausibility and wraps things up a little neatly, but I think that is allowed. Life does not come in little self-contained parcels and films do. Frears gives us a satisfying closure while still pointing to several lives continuing on divergent paths. The films morality is appropriately complex. There is a bogeyman who preys on the vulnerable and is responsible for unnecessary deaths. However he also offers genuine hope to those who have none. He deals in a bloody trade – the selling of human organs – but strives to do this as safely as he can. He is set against a shining Knight who protects his damsel in distress, but who does so through an appalling “rape”, perhaps worse than the sins of the bogeyman. The issues around asylum cannot be reduced to clear positions of right and wrong. There are conflicting rights that cannot necessarily be reconciled. Frears brings this home by showing the human drama it throws up. To do this so well is enough for a good film. To give us such a sharp thriller and touching love story at the same time is a bit special.

Dull

I admire the reviewer who gave up after an hour, I lasted about 30 mins, maybe I missed the point.

A genuine must-see

This movie will always be topical as it highlights brilliantly the desperate measures that cities' faceless endures, just as Orwell did when he wrote 'Down and Out in Paris and London' in the last century.

Quality is evident in every department: script, acting, direction, all perfectly balanced with subtly nuanced characters and locale held together by tight plotting. It works on all levels: as mystery thriller, social realism, political eye-opener, even heart-aching romance.

Eljifor especially deserves to be a major star. His character's humanity and decency shine through his deeply soulful eyes in every shot.

Frears proves once again what a great director he is with his unfussy, straight-forward fluidity. This man really knows how to tell a good story well. His consummate professionalism elevates this far above the kitchen sink TV movie feel that plagues British drama. Most other films seem cliched, stilted and insipid in comparison.

One of the most amazing films I've ever seen

This film was so touching, so real, so true to life that it had me on a roller coaster of emotions throughout. I'm not ashamed to say that it had me crying, laughing and angry. It also made me think.

I have recommended this to everyone that I know, and I also recommend it to you.

This is a gritty film from director Stephen Frears who always seems to extract remarkable performances from the players in his work. In this case Chiwetel Ejiofor the main protagonist in what is a truly modern tale of morality. There is also a surprisingly mature performance from Audrey Tautou. The subject matter is not easy to deal with. Indeed it is a million miles away from his most successful films Dangerous Liaisons and High Fidelity. An excellent intelligent script from Steven Knight gets you interested in the main characters from the start who see life as a sate of survival rather than something that can be lived. Watch out too for pieces of humour that surface surprisingly frequently, although the subject matter of black market transplant organs and abuse of illegal immigrants make you almost embarrassed to laugh. A thought provoking piece especially in the current climate of distrust of asylum seekers and the government policy that deals with it. There should be more cinema like this that you leaves you questioning both your own attitudes and questioning whether we live in an equal society.