Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

An illegal Nigerian immigrant discovers the unpalatable side of London life.

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writer:

Steven Knight

Stars:

Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sergi López

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Audrey Tautou	...	Senay Gelik
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Okwe
Sergi López	...	Sneaky / Juan
Sophie Okonedo	...	Juliette
Benedict Wong	...	Guo Yi
Kenan Hudaverdi	...	Cafe Owner
Damon Younger	...	Punter
Paul Bhattacharjee	...	Mohammed
Darrell D'Silva	...	Immigration Officer
Sotigui Kouyaté	...	Shinti
Abi Gouhad	...	Shinti's Son
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yemi Ajibade	...	Mini Cab Driver (as Ade-Yemi Ajibade)
Barber Ali	...	Sweatshop Foreman
Josef Altin	...	Sweatshop Boy (as Yusuf Altin)
Fisun Burgess	...	Factory Worker

Storyline

Okwe, a kind-hearted Nigerian doctor, and Senay, a Turkish chambermaid, work at the same West London hotel. The hotel is run by Senor Sneaky and is the sort of place where dirty business like drug dealing and prostitution takes place. However, when Okwe finds a human heart in one of the toilets, he uncovers something far more sinister than just a common crime.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | nigerian | doctor | west london | chambermaid | 

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Taglines:

Some things are too dangerous to keep secret.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, disturbing images and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [us]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Somali Spanish French

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Loin de chez eux

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$59,135 (Australia) (18 June 2004)

Gross:

$161,735 (Australia) (18 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, Celador Films, Jonescompany Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Damien O'Donnell was originally attached to direct, but he decided to pass after problems with Harvey Weinstein. He directed Heartlands instead.

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Goofs

Guo Yi says the mythological figure who ferries the dead to Hades is Pylades; in fact the ferryman's name is Charon. Pylades is the companion of Orestes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Okwe: Do you want a car? Ten pounds, Theatreland. Car? London? You want a taxi? Buckingham Palace.

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Connections

References Blue Velvet (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Baltic Hotel (Graveyard Shift 1)
Written and Produced by Nathan Larsen
Published by Miramax Film Music (BMI), Hot One Inc

User Reviews

A Tortured Soul provides salvation

Greetings again from the darkness. Veteran director Stephen Frears has added another film of his to my list of favorites. He already had "The Grifters", "High Fidelity", "Dangerous Liasons" and "My Beautiful Laundrette". Now comes "Dirty Pretty Things", a lousy title, but wonderful film. The lead, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Okwe, is not an actor I am familiar with, but it is apparent from his first scene that he is a tortured soul, whose rivers run deep. Audrey Tautou ("Amelie") seems miscast as a Turkish refugee, but she does a very nice job in allowing us to feel her desperation to see the NYC "lights in the trees". Tautou could become an outstanding actress and major star if she improves her English. She has very expressive eyes and is appealing whether dolled up or toned down. However, the best part of this is the bad guy, played here by Sergi Lopez. He is slick and just oozes evil. Listening to him rationalize his actions is downright sickening. This film takes a dark, disgusting subject matter and makes it a very interesting ride with no unnecessary gore, and a touch of wonderful humor.