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A little warning:
First, DO NOT READ ANY MORE REVIEWS OF THIS FILM ANYWHERE
UNTIL YOU SEE IT! Unless you can trust that critic not to
spoil the emotional impact of a great film through tactless
disclosure of plot twists, please be careful. In fact, I wouldn’t
even watch a trailer for this film, and certainly don’t visit
the website, unless you might be thinking of skipping this
film entirely. Don’t do that.
Now, relax. I’m not going to give anything away. Trust me,
I’m not that kind of critic. The film was released last year
in Europe. A lot of people are talking like it’s old news,
and you probably haven’t seen it yet. Citizen Kane
may qualify for social security, and I’m still not going to
tell you about “Rosebud.”
The reason for this care is not because Dirty Pretty Things
is a great who-done-it where you are shocked to find that
“the butler did it” or that “Soylent Green is,” well, you
know; but it sure is being sold that way. A lot of people
are going to see this film because it looks suspenseful. A
lot of people will see this film because they think it’s some
sort of black comedy, a murder mystery, or a tawdry action
adventure. I hope a lot of people will see it, but some of
these people are going to be disappointed. I hate to think
that the reason for these misunderstandings is because marketing
believes that people won’t go to see a film anymore unless
it fits neatly into some easy category of entertainment. See
the film, then think about the advertising. Something stinks
here.
And it isn’t the film! There is plenty of mystery, suspense,
and even a little action, but none of it is formulaic. Each
successive surprise is meaningful, genuine, and sometimes
illuminating, never contrived and never melodramatic. As the
poster says, “Some things are too dangerous to keep secret.”
I feel that the true quality of this movie must be one of
those things. I don’t give out five stars like candy, but
this film deserves consideration and may still earn that last
half-star yet. I’m wrestling with it as I write.
This is a movie for people who are tired of seeing modern
movies, a film about survival, human dignity, morality, idealism,
and dreams, in the face of a very unforgiving and relentlessly
cruel reality. For example, I will divulge the pivotal location,
The Baltic Hotel, where all manner of bad things happen. You
know, the usual—drugs, prostitution. However this hotel doesn’t
look sleazy in any hackneyed, stereotypical way. I’d stay
there. For England, it’s pretty damned nice, actually. I even
wonder if that was the director’s intentional symbolism? Obvious
and unmistakable on closer inspection, almost everything about
this film enjoys subtlety.
The director, Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette,
Dangerous Liaisons), evidently doesn’t need to
resort to stereotypes to tell a story. There is nothing ostentatious
in his visual style, but with the help of cinematographer
Chris Menges, he presents a visceral glimpse of Britain’s
ethnic underclass. This world easily could serve as the soapbox
from which Frears harps about injustice. Instead, he generally
lets the viewers sort out the implications of what they see.
To be honest, you do get a little sermonizing, but no more
than the characters themselves feel justified in delivering.
I’ll sure indulge them, though. They have earned our attention.
The pace and camera’s loving detailing of the actors may seem
a bit unjustified at first. Be patient. It pays off.
So, here is what the film is: a character study of many characters.
Now, that usually implies “boring,” but not this film. The
lead character, Okwe (Ejiofor) recalls Sidney Poitier
in To Sir, With Love, with all of the intensity and
dignity, but with less romantic sensationalism. The film triumphs
on his performance. Senay (Tautou) is a modest Turkish
and Islamic chambermaid. For one of the most simply elegant
and beautiful actresses in the world today to conquer this
disturbing role, I’ll forgive the tiniest quibble over her
accent. She may not be Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man,
but she comes a lot closer than you would ever imagine. Sneaky
(López) provides such a richly detailed villain that
the film might have been a classic tragedy about him. Ivan
(Buric), Julliette (Okonedo), and Guo Yi (Wong)
provide welcome humor and insight. All of their performances
are nothing short of stupendous. But for the need of brevity,
I should include every single actor/actress in the film. In
the study of the craft of film acting, this film is a benchmark.
What remains are all the other artists who contributed to
the film. The music (Nathan Larson) is unobtrusive
and highly effective, right down to the credits song with
David Byrne, who has clearly been practicing. This
is Steve Knight’s second feature screenplay, and it
provides a great platform for the performances. It might have
been a bit more innovative, but his third screenplay, I hope,
will answer this question. The producers, executive and managing,
may have some rather unpretentious backgrounds. I’ll say this,
unlike another Frears film, High Fidelity, you don’t
feel like you need to get the outtakes on DVD to find out
what the filmmakers originally intended. Some critics may
make fun of these craftsmen. Go ahead, laugh all you want;
they know what they have achieved.
In my opinion, Dirty Pretty Things is an almost perfect
film, but what do I know? I’m good at chess.
—Steven Harding
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out
of 5
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