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MOVIE REVIEW
Dirty Pretty
Things
(2003)
Starring:
Audrey Tautou,
Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Sergio Lopez
Director:
Stephen Frears
Rating: R
Studio:
Miramax
Release Date: 7.18.03
Review
Posted: 7.22.03
Spoilers:
Minor
By
Christopher T. Bryan
"Dirty
Pretty Things"
Is None Too Thrilling or Suspenseful
Acclaimed
director Stephen Frears’ (The Grifters, Dangerous Liaisons)
latest offering is Dirty Pretty Things, which is
tri-billed as a thriller, suspense and drama; I found it none
too thrilling, or suspenseful. It was dramatic, but one out of
three isn’t a good start to an evening.
Dirty Pretty
Things
seems to refer to London itself, dirty things happen, but there
are people employed specifically to keep things looking pretty
on the exterior. The film centers on the Baltic Hotel where many
illegal immigrants are working. The immigrants of course are all
hard working, honest people and are shocked when they discover
that the hotel which hired them off the books is involved in
some underhanded scheme (note sarcasm). The discovery is made
when Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Nigerian medical student doing
double time as a cabby and front desk clerk. He discovers an
unusual stoppage in room 510’s lavatory. Matters get worse for
Okwe when his friend and co-worker Shenay (Audrey Tautou), with
whom he is living, receives an unexpected and unwelcome visit
from immigration services.
Moreover,
both Okwe and Shenay are illegal immigrants who have their own
reasons for being in
London. Under the scrutiny of the immigration officials it
becomes increasingly difficult for the two of them to hold down
a job. There are options, but they more often than not tend to
be dirty rather than pretty. Also, they include the case of
prostitution, selling oneself. Shenay’s dream of reaching
New York City is brought up early in the film. She has a romantic
idea of what
New York
is; it seems that once she reaches the land of her dreams she
will once again be faced with the same problem of finding a job
and a home while dodging the law. Interestingly enough, though,
Okwe points this out to Shenay and she admits that her view of
New York is probably skewed but that she still must go there.
Dirty Pretty
Things
takes its time to get any steam going. It appears as though the
screenwriter and director weren’t sure which story to tell, Okwe
and Shenay surviving in London, or the mystery of the toilet
blockage. They decided to tell both stories and in the process
made neither very exciting nor involving. I was reminded of
Lilya 4-Ever during Dirty Pretty Things. Many of the
same themes are involved; loss, homelessness, and prostitution.
Perhaps Dirty Pretty Things is being more widely released
because it doesn’t have the courage to really tell the story the
way Lilya 4-Ever did, which admittedly could alienate
some moviegoers, however in not doing so it came across too
candy-coated for my taste.
Ejiofor shows
next to no emotion in the entire film save maybe two scenes. He
basically recites his lines and offers no facial expression.
Tautou does a good job at what she does best, which is being
cute. She has adorably huge eyes and it is incredibly painful to
watch them as she is forced to provide oral stimulation. Tautou
can either play a very cute cuddly person, or grab the
audience’s attention as a victim. Sergi Lopez who portrays Juan
the hotel manager is slimy but not slimy enough to induce a
strong repulsive feeling.
What really
let me down is not the fault of the director or the actors. It
rests on the shoulders of whoever was responsible for marketing
this film. The trailer is completely misleading and anyone going
to a theater expecting a suspenseful thriller is going to be
disappointed. In an exaggerated comparison imagine going to a
multiplex to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre and instead
finding yourself surrounded by gushy lovers at a screening of
Pretty Woman.
The ending
does contain an unexpected twist. It works well in this context,
but it’s the sort of ending that receives groans when tagged to
the closure of a good movie; it succeeds with Dirty Pretty
Things because it is the first piece of real imagination in
a movie that is otherwise devoid of any, and was in effect truly
a surprise to me.
Rating: 1 out of 4
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