Review of Dirty Pretty Things (2002) by Blake P — 21 Jul 2012

Okwe (Ejiofor) is an immigrant from Nigeria, and starts jobs as a taxi driver, and a hotel concierge, but hopes someday he can continue his work as a doctor, which was his occupation in his hometown. He begins to share a room with the Turkish Senay (Tautou), and the two begin a very close friendship.

Things begin to get quite a bit better, but when Okwe's boss (Lopez) discovers that he's a doctor, he blackmails him into joining an underground surgical community, in which immigrants give up their organs for donations.

Though most immigrant based films are either too romanticized or too bleak, "Dirty Pretty Things" hits just the right balance. Never sentimental but also relentlessly lurid, Frears paints a picture of a world that only he could create: gritty, dirty, but at times, hopeful.

The score of the film is brilliant, and induces chills, while the Oscar-nominated screenplay creates flawed, interesting, yet sympathetic characters. Combine the two, the suspense becomes even greater, the falls of our anti-heroes are sadder, and the bleakness casts a big, big shadow.

All of the actors here are luminous, to top it all off. Tautou is so good as the weak, desperate Senay, and Ejiofor is an unlikely hero as the quietly courageous Okwe. Add a very menacing Lopez as the villain, and Okonedo as the likable, tough-talking prostitute, this cast is simply terrific, and it's nice to see a film with such a diverse cast.

"Dirty Pretty Things" isn't always happy, and at times it's so sad it's maddening, but never has a film with such a brutal topic felt so good. Recommended.