FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Dirty Pretty Things [DVD] [2002]

Dirty Pretty Things [DVD] [2002]
enlarge	Director: Stephen Frears Actors: Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo, Sergi López, Zlatko Buric Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£15.99~~ Buy New: £2.74 as of 22/11/2009 05:18 GMT details You Save: £13.25 (83%) New (16) Used (10) from £2.73 Seller: direct_offers_uk Rating: 22 reviews Sales Rank: 10323 Format: PAL Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Somali (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 97 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5017188888363 ASIN: B0000AE7CD Theatrical Release Date: September 3, 2003 Release Date: May 1, 2007 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


Similar Items: Last Resort [2001] [DVD] God Is Great And I'm Not [DVD] [2002] Yasmin [DVD] Venus Beauty Institute [DVD] [1998] A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Cambridge Shakespeare) (The New Cambridge Shakespeare)


Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review With IDirty Pretty Things/I Stephen Frears (IThe Grifters/I) 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). p 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. --IKristen Bowditch/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 22 1 2 3 4 5 Next » Cinema that's not predictable Hollywood pap September 4, 2003 PB (London, UK) 21 out of 22 found this review helpful 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.pThe 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.pI 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. The Best British Film In Years July 23, 2003 15 out of 16 found this review helpful 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. Gives "room service" a bad name September 24, 2003 Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) 15 out of 18 found this review helpful If you were delighted by Audrey Tatou's quirky, comedic role in AMELIE, be prepared for a whole new side of this French actress in DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. This young star does drama with the best. And either way, her enormous brown eyes would melt linoleum.pTatou plays Senay, an undocumented Turkish immigrant toiling in London's underground labor pool as a maid at the Hotel Baltic in an unprepossessing part of the city. The night shift desk clerk, Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), also undocumented, is a Nigerian on the run from government persecution back home. In the old country, Okwe was a licensed physician. In London, besides his hotel gig, Okwe drives a cab using borrowed credentials. Senay surreptitiously allows Okwe, who hasn't a permanent residence, the use of her flat's couch to sleep on while she works the day shift.pOne morning, Okwe pulls a fresh human heart out of a plugged toilet in one of the hotel's rooms. Wishing to make it a police matter, Okwe brings the body part to the attention of the Baltic's day manager, Sneaky (Sergi Lopez), who persuades the former to let the matter rest by playing on his fear of discovery by Immigration. Besides, Sneaky advises, the job of a hotel is to PRETTY up the DIRTY THINGS that happen during the wee hours.pIf you're hoping to catch a glimpse of touristy London, forget it. I've been there more times than I can remember, and didn't spot anything I recognized - not even the Thames. This is London's gritty underbelly, the home of undocumented immigrants so desperate to reach someplace better that they risk death selling their body parts on the transplantable organs black market in exchange for passports and airline tickets. For instance, Senay longs for New York City, a place (she thinks) of lights in the trees and policeman on white horses, where she has a cousin.pTatou appears on American ads for DIRTY PRETTY THINGS perhaps because she's the only one of the actors potentially recognizable to U.S. audiences. However, Ejiofor is the film's lead, and his low key, excellent performance argues for more widespread exposure. Lopez's Sneaky is the sort of oily, disgusting villain that one loves to hate. Particularly endearing in a secondary role is Sophie Okonedo as Juliette, the effervescent hooker who uses the Baltic for her nightly trysts.pDIRTY PRETTY THINGS is an unusual love story, a tale of righteous retribution, and an indictment of sordid conditions just around the corner and out of sight of the chirpy tour guide and her charges on their way to Buckingham Palace to have a chinwag with the Queen. It's a film different from, and certainly much superior to, the usual fare. Intense drama is a winner November 14, 2003 Kona (Emerald City) 12 out of 15 found this review helpful "In the this business," says a sleazy hotel manager, "people come to hotels at night to do dirty things. It is our job to make them look pretty." Dirty Pretty Things stars Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Amistad") as Owke, an illegal alien from Nigeria who is desperately trying to scratch out an existence in the shady side of London. He lives with Sanay (Audrey Tautou), a Turkish immigrant and co-worker at the Baltic Hotel. It seems this hotel is not only used by prostitutes and drug dealers; it is where black market kidneys are harvested from willing and unwilling donors, all under the supervision of the evil manager, Sr. Juan (Sergi Lopez). br brEjiofor is wonderful as the hard working and compassionate ex-doctor with a terrible secret. He takes command of the screen and breaks your heart. French actress Audrey Tautou, the pixie of "Amalie," shows her versatility in her first English-speaking part. She is neither perky nor glamorous here; she convincingly plays a poor chambermaid who is forced to do terrible things just to survive. Spanish actor Sergi Lopez plays the villain with such cheerful delight that I was quite intrigued with him. Here is a man who loves what he does and will do anything to protect himself. The various accents of the stars are sometimes hard to understand, but they add authenticity and make the film seem all the more gritty. br brDirected by Stephen Frears ("Dangerous Liaisons"), it has a low-budget look and a forgettable musical score; however the quality of the acting and script are both outstanding. I was on the edge of my seat throughout, wondering what would happen next, until the deliciously satisfying conclusion, which made me want to cheer! An atmospheric thriller in London's hidden world October 3, 2005 Ian D. McArdell 6 out of 7 found this review helpful Directed by Stephen Frears, 'Dirty Pretty Things' is both a thriller and modern morality tale set in the underbelly of London - the world of illegal immigrants, sweatshops and prostitution. It is an atmospheric film with fantastic central performances from both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou, (famously known for her role in Amelie).pOkwe (Ejiofor) works two jobs, as mini-cab driver in the day and in a hotel as a night porter. Haunted by the life he escaped in Africa, he has little time for sleep. When he does rest, it is on the couch of Senay (Tautou) - a Turkish Muslim claiming refugee status in the UK - she too works illegally in the hotel and dreams of a new life in the USA.pWhen a grisly secret is discovered in the hotel, they find themselves struggling to survive it. When you don't exist how can you report something to the police?pThe film poses some challenging questions, the foremost of which are... what are you prepared to do to survive and what price is too high to achieve your dream? Showing reviews 1-5 of 22 1 2 3 4 5 Next »

CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON EU S.à.r.l. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.