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Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
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The ever-versatile Stephen Frears provides a distinctive portrait of illegal immigrants living a hidden, knife-edge existence in London in this insightful drama. Chiwetel Ejiofor is all soulful integrity as Okwe, a Nigerian taxi driver who moonlights as a night porter in a hotel, while Amélie's Audrey Tautou elicits sympathy as a downtrodden Turkish asylum seeker. Well framed by accomplished cinematographer Chris Menges, Frears's depiction of a seedy London is impressive, though the script's intrusive thriller elements — such as oily hotel manager Sergi Lopez's illegal trade in donor organs — dent the film's overall credibility. Strict naturalism was clearly never the film's main intention, since some of its characters, particularly the dogged immigration authorities, teeter on the brink of caricature. However, the poignant closing scene aside, the final act isn't easy to take seriously, which is a great shame. JC
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| Contains sex scenes, violence, swearing. |
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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93min
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Country of origin
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UK / US
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Genre
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Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Steven Knight
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Theatrical distributor
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Buena Vista
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UK cinema certificate
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15
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UK cinema release date
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December 2002
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UK video release date
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October 2003
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| awards information |
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Award |
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Nominee/Winner |
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| Academy 2003 |
Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) |
Steven Knight |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2002 |
Best Screenplay (Original) |
Steven Knight |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2002 |
The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year |
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Nominee |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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