Review of The Crying Game (1992) by Adam K — 11 Mar 2013

So, I finally got around to seeing this film. Of course, I already knew the "secret." Oddly, I knew about the "secret" because of the Simpsons' Mayor Quimby...

That said, Forest Whitaker's character's interaction with Rea is compelling, especially in our era of waterboarding. Are they friends? Is Whitaker simply playing Rea, planning his escape?

Rae in civilian life as a construction worker was fun. The real violence of his past shines through when he comes close to killing Dill's boyfriend in the alley scene, and when he threatens his boss, when he insults Dill. I particularly liked that latter scene because of the social implications: the boss in his three piece suit at the construction site who just docked Rea's pay 200 pounds for dropping a window crosses a line. It's a well-made scene. We see quite readily that the boss will not be defended by his workers, probably not even the foreman standing behind him, and we already know Rea is capable of the threatened violence.

When Richardson reappears as the femme fatal, I was delighted. That was the twist I wasn't expecting. Tarentino had to have "stolen" her look for Uma Thurman's "Pulp Fiction" character on her.

And, of course, you're left wondering if Rea is gay, and all that sexuality stuff that people write their PhD thesis about these days.