Details
Movie Description
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.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Additional Release Material:
Commentary - 1. Stephen Frears - Director
Behind-the-Scenes
Theatrical Release: July 18, 2003 (NY/LA)
Industry Reviews
"...A swift, tangy drama....[An] understated and sure film....Mr. Knight's climactic story-beat achieves its purpose with a minimum of fuss, abetted by the elegant thoughtfulness of Mr. Frears and the no-nonsense charisma of Mr. Ejiofor..."
New York Times - Elvis Mitchell (07/18/2003)
"...Disturbing and intriguing, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS fits a great deal into its 94 quicksilver minutes....This is a film that insinuates itself deeply into our awareness..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (07/18/2003)
"...Culture clashes in the U.K. are a common screen topic, but Frears is a master....It is dirtier than pretty, but Frears finds beauty in the telling..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (07/18/2003)
"...Fueled by gripping suspense, dark humor and outraged humanity, the film is a modern horror story that means to shake you and does..."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (08/07/2003)
"...It's a suspense thriller, a dark comedy, an astute sociological study of the 'New Europe', and a haunting love story, all rolled into one smashing film..."
Movieline - Stephen Farber (07/01/2003)
"[W]orthy, intelligent, tense, and mostly quite wonderful..."
Premiere - Premiere Staff (05/01/2004)
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