Dirty Pretty Things **** (2002, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sophie Okonedo) – Classic Movie Review 6104

Director Stephen Frears’s 2002 British crime drama thriller is one of his successes.

Chiwetel Ejiofor shines as Okwe, an illegal Nigerian immigrant in London working both as a cabbie and in a hotel, in Stephen Frears’s ably crafted, well-meaning, distinguished thriller.

When he finds his hotel boss is trading in human organs, Okwe and his Turkish co-worker and flatmate Senay Gelik (Audrey Tautou) find their way of life worryingly under threat.

This is a highly unusual, distinctive film, with a complex and intelligent screenplay by Steven Knight that offers an original slant as it ponders the plight of illegal immigrants in Britain. Chris Menges’s cinematography also has a notable share in the film’s success.

Also in the cast are Sergi Lopez, Benedict Wong, Sophie Okonedo, Zlatko Buric and Adrian Scarborough.

It is made by Celador, distributed by Buena Vista, produced by Robert Jones, scored by Nathan Larson and designed by Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6104

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