Dirty Pretty Things Movie Review:

“There is nothing so dangerous as a virtuous man.”

Dirty Pretty Things is a thriller about the shady London underworld, but more so it is a film about survival. Though taking place in London, the film follows characters of different nationalities. This is the film’s critical “melting pot” concept, which has the central characters being illegal immigrants. A Nigerian named Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) was a doctor in his homeland that fled to London due to his hidden secrets. He is now working as an illegal cab driver during the day and as a hotel desk clerk at night. Okwe manages to hold his two jobs by occasionally eating illegal herbs that keep him awake. He sleeps on the couch at the apartment of another illegal immigrant Senay (Amelie’s Audrey Tautou), who is Turkish and works as a maid at the same hotel. The rest of the “melting pot” includes Okwe’s Asian coroner friend (Benedict Wong), a Russian hotel doorman (Zlatko Buric), the hotel’s West Indian call girl (Sophie Okonedo), and Okwe’s sleazy Spanish boss (With a Friend Like Harry’s Sergi Lopez). Things become interesting when Okwe discovers a human heart clogging a toilet in room 510 of the hotel. This incident leads the characters to being enthralled in secretly hideous operations of the London underworld. Practically with nowhere to turn, Okwe and Senay are faced with threatening consequences that call for instantaneous decisions to be made.

This dark film for the most part works well on most levels. Stephen Frears, whose credits include noteworthy films like My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Grifters (1990), and the dismally forgettable Mary Reilly (1996), directs the film. Though Dirty Pretty Things opens very mildly, Frears’ pacing builds up the needed tension for the film’s many twists and discoveries. The illegal London underworld atmosphere that Frears captures is also kind of creepy.

First time screenwriter Steven Knight’s script has questionable instances, but it still accomplishes the story that Knight wanted to tell. The whole heart in the toilet choice comes across in a metaphoric way, but after the credits roll, one will still question as to why exactly was the heart in the toilet. The “melting pot” blend of characters seems like a choice that could have been disastrous, but instead it is the one of the script’s best choices. The film’s story can be categorized as a thriller film, but the concept is very original to where the script also touches on themes of survival, love, ethics, and redeemability.

Chiwetel Ejiofor’s performance as the central character Okwe is the centerpiece of this film. Ejiofor, who is British by Nigerian parents, delivers a performance that is precise and just terrific. Audrey Tautou delivers another strong performance as the overreactive Turkish maid Senay. Tautou has incredible eyes and natural beauty that engulfs the screen. Lastly, the talented Sergi Lopez is eminent with his eerily confident performance as the questionable hotel manager Sneaky.

Dirty Pretty Things is a formidable thriller that has a few questionable moments, but overall it is a unique type of thriller about survival. The acting is very effective and director Stephen Frears brings a conspicuous tone and straight-arrow precision to the film.

Grade: B

08/21/03
By Joseph C. Tucker

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