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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

US Box Office: $7,953,388

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; Australian critics are listed first)
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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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

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

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]

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

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

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

Even when bad things happen to these people, one can't help but believe that things will one day get better.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
09/05/04
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

The synchronicity between script, stars and cinematography falls square on the shoulders of Frears, however, and he fully realizes the potential.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
05/21/04
Matt Kelemen
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife

When is a thriller not a thriller? When British director Stephen Frears makes it.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
04/27/04
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

It’s the didactic dialogue... and the plot contrivances... that might produce snickers.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
04/16/04
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

A quirky, gritty look at life in the London underworld where immigrants work crappy jobs and trade kidneys for citizenship.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
03/25/04
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

Like a dark, grimy version of Casablanca.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
01/17/04
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

Like Ejiofor’s role, Dirty Pretty Things is nonpareil; they remain in a league of their own. They also belong in a small league for 2003: that which may not be missed.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/31/03
Greg Muskewitz
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

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