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DVD Review
Dirty Pretty Things
By Stephen Lucas Published April 20, 2004
US Release: July 18, 2003
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor , Audrey Tautou , Sergi López , Sophie Okonedo
R
Running Time: 107 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $8,111,000
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor , Audrey Tautou , Sergi López , Sophie Okonedo
R
Running Time: 107 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $8,111,000
C+
With such an interesting premise about the underground organ industry, I had wished to see more, to dig deeper.
There?s a scene in ?Dirty Pretty Things? that can be taken quite literally or with more of a symbolic standpoint. The main character, Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), is trying to fix an overflowing toilet. Far into his plumbing incident, he pulls a human heart out from the toilet?s drain. Okwe also finds that his friend Senay (Audrey Tautou) is in love with him. In a slightly creepy way, this scene is meant to emphasize a film-spanning romance.
?Dirty Pretty Things,? as the title suggests, is a film about something pretty (love) told with dirty things (the underground organ industry, deportation, blood, blackmail, rape, et cetera). Although this is a clever and rather ironic setup, confused elements of the story ultimately make it difficult to garner an entirely positive opinion.
The story is about Okwe (pronounced OAK-way), a Nigerian exile currently living in London, working a handful of odd jobs. In the course of a day, he interacts with different kinds of people, though as a whole, they?re supposed to portray ?lowlifes.? A new trend has arisen in which immigrants to the country (such as Okwe and friend Senay) are donating their spare kidneys in exchange for a passport; most of them are heading for America. Okwe is unwillingly caught up with people associated with this practice upon finding the heart in the hotel room. It turns out the heart was part of a (whole) dead person, who died during one of these very unsanitary and unskilled kidney procedures. (As I said, there are two ways to interpret that scene.)
What I give this film credit for doing is setting up a mysterious mood for us. The writing is actually pretty good (the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar this past year, in fact) and the way in which the characters interact make the enigma at hand that much more of a fog to it. Throughout the film, we are wondering where all of these little scenes are headed to, and why; this is perhaps the best aspect of the film, though not enough to inevitably save it.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, playing Okwe, has a very interesting presence onscreen; he?s neither commanding nor very subtle, accentuating the gray area in-between. What I liked about him is that he isn?t a typical lead actor who takes his monologues in stride, standing on an intangible pedestal; rather, Ejiofor does what his character would do, which is definitely not to show off for an audience.
Audrey Tautou is also along for the ride in ?Dirty Pretty Things?; she is best known worldwide for her title role in 2001?s charming film, ?Amelie.? As innocent and playful as Tatou is, ?Dirty? is conniving and gritty. Because of that, seeing her in a film like this may throw a person off. Despite that, Tautou does a fairly good job in her somewhat minimized role.
Understandably, there are good things about this film (Ejiofor?s performance, and the writing and cinematography), but as the film?s ninety-seven minutes progress there?s more to be desired. With such an interesting premise about the underground organ industry, I had wished to see more, to dig deeper than mere cash-on-delivery selling. Sure, we see bloody organs (for shock value), but I?m not altogether sure if we?ve been given a totally accurate depiction.
Also, to get to these plot-revealing turns, it takes too long: two-thirds of the film has already passed before we?re introduced to some of the most essential parts of the story, even though they pick up the slightly dragging pace. It seems as though director Stephen Frears (?The Grifters,? ?Dangerous Liasons?) spends most of the film setting up that mysterious mood, as opposed to something a bit more important like plot progression. For this reason, I can?t say that I was completely satisfied with the film.
When it comes down to it, I just wasn?t treated to a whole experience. Character development is sometimes oddly set up, as is that of the story, and there should be more of an experience here than is provided. ?Dirty Pretty Things? may not be worth giving up your kidney for and I?m not sure if it?s worth the price of a rental either. As it lies, rent the film only if you have a desire to see it; otherwise, keep skimming the shelves for something better to occupy your Saturday night with.
?Dirty Pretty Things,? as the title suggests, is a film about something pretty (love) told with dirty things (the underground organ industry, deportation, blood, blackmail, rape, et cetera). Although this is a clever and rather ironic setup, confused elements of the story ultimately make it difficult to garner an entirely positive opinion.
The story is about Okwe (pronounced OAK-way), a Nigerian exile currently living in London, working a handful of odd jobs. In the course of a day, he interacts with different kinds of people, though as a whole, they?re supposed to portray ?lowlifes.? A new trend has arisen in which immigrants to the country (such as Okwe and friend Senay) are donating their spare kidneys in exchange for a passport; most of them are heading for America. Okwe is unwillingly caught up with people associated with this practice upon finding the heart in the hotel room. It turns out the heart was part of a (whole) dead person, who died during one of these very unsanitary and unskilled kidney procedures. (As I said, there are two ways to interpret that scene.)
What I give this film credit for doing is setting up a mysterious mood for us. The writing is actually pretty good (the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar this past year, in fact) and the way in which the characters interact make the enigma at hand that much more of a fog to it. Throughout the film, we are wondering where all of these little scenes are headed to, and why; this is perhaps the best aspect of the film, though not enough to inevitably save it.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, playing Okwe, has a very interesting presence onscreen; he?s neither commanding nor very subtle, accentuating the gray area in-between. What I liked about him is that he isn?t a typical lead actor who takes his monologues in stride, standing on an intangible pedestal; rather, Ejiofor does what his character would do, which is definitely not to show off for an audience.
Audrey Tautou is also along for the ride in ?Dirty Pretty Things?; she is best known worldwide for her title role in 2001?s charming film, ?Amelie.? As innocent and playful as Tatou is, ?Dirty? is conniving and gritty. Because of that, seeing her in a film like this may throw a person off. Despite that, Tautou does a fairly good job in her somewhat minimized role.
Understandably, there are good things about this film (Ejiofor?s performance, and the writing and cinematography), but as the film?s ninety-seven minutes progress there?s more to be desired. With such an interesting premise about the underground organ industry, I had wished to see more, to dig deeper than mere cash-on-delivery selling. Sure, we see bloody organs (for shock value), but I?m not altogether sure if we?ve been given a totally accurate depiction.
Also, to get to these plot-revealing turns, it takes too long: two-thirds of the film has already passed before we?re introduced to some of the most essential parts of the story, even though they pick up the slightly dragging pace. It seems as though director Stephen Frears (?The Grifters,? ?Dangerous Liasons?) spends most of the film setting up that mysterious mood, as opposed to something a bit more important like plot progression. For this reason, I can?t say that I was completely satisfied with the film.
When it comes down to it, I just wasn?t treated to a whole experience. Character development is sometimes oddly set up, as is that of the story, and there should be more of an experience here than is provided. ?Dirty Pretty Things? may not be worth giving up your kidney for and I?m not sure if it?s worth the price of a rental either. As it lies, rent the film only if you have a desire to see it; otherwise, keep skimming the shelves for something better to occupy your Saturday night with.
Stephen's Grade: C+
Stephen's Overall Grading: 23 graded movies
| A | 8.7% | |
| B | 43.5% | |
| C | 47.8% | |
| D | 0.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
