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Movies / On DVD / Dirty Pretty Things
Dirty Pretty Things

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Dirty Pretty Things (2003)

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Reviews Counted:136

Fresh:128

Rotten:8

Average Rating:7.8/10

Consensus: An illuminating and nuanced film about the exploitation of illegal immigrants.

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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 receptionist. When he discovers a human heart in a hotel-room bathroom, he cannot go to the police because he is an illegal alien with a mysterious past that he refuses to talk about. Suddenly he is thrust into the middle of a dangerous situation that threatens to have tragic results for him and those around him. French ingenue Audrey Tautou costars as a Turkish woman who has sought asylum in England, where she is allowed to live but not work. But she must make money, so she works secretly while the government tries to catch her. Benedict Wong turns in a fine supporting performance as Guo Yi, a morgue employee who shares wise and humorous sayings with Okwe, and Sergi Lopez is absolutely chilling as the amorally opportunistic hotel manager. Frears directs the unusual proceedings with a deft hand, slowly revealing secrets that are as gruesome as they are poignant. [More]

Starring: Chjwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo

Starring: Chjwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo, Zlatko Buric, Benedict Wong

Director: Stephen Frears

Director: Stephen Frears
Screenwriter: Steven Knight
Producer: Tracey Seaward, Robert Jones
Composer: Nathan Larson
Screenwriter: Stephen Morris
Studio: Miramax Films

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Reviews for Dirty Pretty Things

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
11/27/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

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.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

A film with marvellous delicacy, humanity and charm.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/06/03
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Never feels like the kind of stuffy expose that would make its preachy points in five minutes and bore us for the rest of the running time.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
12/23/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Spotlighting an underclass rarely seen on film, this is one of the most beguiling British films this year.

Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
12/17/02
FilmFour.com

Frears gives us another stunning cinematic portrait of London.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
11/11/02
Jason Best
Jason Best
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With terrific performances, great characters and a sharp script, Stephen Frears’ latest is one of the best films of the year.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/09/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

This is strong stuff, but Frears avoids the soapbox by concentrating on the personal drama.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/24/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

An intelligent and extremely well-made romantic drama that tells an intriguing story with economy and insight.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/27/07
David Stratton
David Stratton
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An impressive mix of entertainment and social comment, spinning a great mystery even as it confronts an ugly world.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/27/07
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Dirty Pretty Things benefits from the best script...hands down, written for a movie released in 2003

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
08/21/06
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal

Offers a frills-free meditation on the many faces of oppression.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Rick Kisonak
Rick Kisonak
Film Threat

It's involving, well-directed and well-acted.

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

Weaving threads of classic thrillers through this gritty realistic context, Frears satisfies our desire for a good story.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

...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"

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/08/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The less you know the more you’ll enjoy it.

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
10/07/04
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

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