- Actors: Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo, Sergi López, Zlatko Buric
- Directors: Stephen Frears
- Format: PAL
- Language English, Somali
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- DVD Release Date: 6 Oct 2003
- Run Time: 97 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0000AE7CD
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 33,164 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
With Dirty Pretty Things Stephen Frears (The Grifters) gives us a dark gritty film examining London's seedier underbelly. Oscar nominated Chiwetel Ejiofor is Okwe, a Nigerian doctor who fled to Britain after the death of his family. So far he has evaded capture by the authorities and successfully held down two jobs as a taxi driver and night porter in a downmarket hotel. But all this changes when he finds a human heart blocking a toilet in one of the rooms and discovers his manager is running an organ trafficking operation offering illegal immigrants passports for organs. The plot then follows a well-trodden thriller path as Okwe wrestles with his conscience and also the growing affections of Turkish asylum seeker Senay (Audrey Tautou).
Ejiofor and Tautou give incredibly affecting performances as the disenfranchised inhabitants of the capital city and the plot is harrowing without being sensationalist. The only disappointment is the black-and-white morality that holds the film together. In a drama that sets out to challenge our perceptions and prejudices, the inappropriately Hollywood ending is a letdown that does nothing to raise this film above being a stock thriller, albeit of the more intelligent kind. --Kristen Bowditch
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cinema that's not predictable Hollywood pap,
By
This review is from: Dirty Pretty Things [DVD] [2002] (DVD)
Dirty Pretty Things will never be mainstream and will never be viewed by the masses. This is a real shame because the majority of the blockbusters we get to see have nothing to offer other than perhaps 90 minutes of special effects. Dirty Pretty Things will stay with you for a very long time after the final scene plays.The film refuses to be heavy handed about the issues which most will focus on -- illegal immigrants. Neither does the film lose itself in characterisation at the expense of story -- there is a good plot which really gets you gripped as you wonder how things will turn out. I cannot recommend this film highly enough. I hope that the British film industry continues to make films like this and resist the urge to only make "Hugh Grant vehicles". DPT reminds us how powerful cinema can be, without needing huge explosions to impress you. I urge you to watch this.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best British Film In Years,
This review is from: Dirty Pretty Things [DVD] [2002] (DVD)
In terms of culture this film shows us brits a truly different story of immigrants and multi ethnic communities, whether you agree or disagree with the country's policies on immigration, I think you will be hard pushed not to feel compassion and sympathy for these characters. Having said that I must stress this film is not about doom and gloom, it keeps a good deal of humour throughout, but it has a strong undercurrent, and a plot which I found original and not easily predicted. The acting is fantastic, the only actor I knew of before being Audrey Tautou of Amelie fame, which just shows her versatility, as this role is a far cry from the lovable french girl, she plays a Turkish refugee trying to survive in London, paying rent and food bills and not being allowed to legally work. The lead role being played by Chiwetel Ejiofor is equally convincing, his charater is lighter and more comedic which brings the whole film a watchable yet intense quality. This film has to be one of the must see films of the year, do yourself a favour, drop the holywood blockbusters for this week, you won't be sorry.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It is a heart - a human heart!,
By
This review is from: Dirty Pretty Things [DVD] [2002] (DVD)
Stephen Frears' masterful 2002 portrayal of the seedy underbelly of London, along with its desperate immigrants, self-serving ne'r do wells, and complacent abusers of power, is a great British film which has stood the test of time mainly due to its permanent topicality and its powerful performances - both from the two leads and the host of supporting actors.
Chiwetel Ejiofor Kinky Boots [DVD] [2005] and Inside Man [DVD] [2006] confirms his status as one of the best character actors of our times; his exiled Nigerian doctor Okwe is both sensitive and no-nonsense, and his poignant relationship with troubled Turkish cleaner (played in typically doe-eyed yet steely fashion by Audrey Tatou - "Amelie" (Cine-file French Film Guides)]and [[ASIN:B000LRZH3C The Da Vinci Code [2006] [DVD] lies at the very heart of the film. However, Sergi Lopez's smarmy hotel manager - Juan to his face and `Sneaky' behind his back, Zlatko Buric's sexually frustrated Russian doorman Ivan, Benedict Wong's hospital porter and Okwe's sage chess partner Guo Yi, and damaged but tough prostitute Juliette (the excellent Sophie Okonedo), all do their bit to create a dark and sordid yet ultimately uplifting film. Dealing with the illegal organ trade, and those who suffer most from it due to desperate necessity, the film is both highly disturbing and at times darkly humourous; Frears pulls no punches throughout, and the ending just made me want to punch the air in relief. Overall this is a highly recommended and sadly underrated modern British classic - Guy Ritchie, this is how it's done.
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