Dirty Pretty Things - Movie Review

Dirty Pretty Things received a decent rating at IMDb. The rating is currently 7.4/10 at IMDb which is a fairly decent rating. My guideline for IMDb is that anything over 7 is generally worth watching. I rented the film expecting a hit and came away satisfied but not ecstatic.

Dirty Pretty Things examines the exploitation of immigrants in London. It conducts analysis within the context of a murder mystery, scoring political points along the way. The film also examines morality, driving the point home with more than one interaction addressing the subject directly. So we end up with a thriller that seems to be making a statement without clarity. Those aspects of the film distracted me a bit from my enjoyment of the mystery, which was slack at times. This film would have been exceptional if it were tighter. Writer Stephen Knight improved on this work with his screenplay Eastern Promises. You can witness great improvement in his writing between the two stories.

Okwe (Chiwetal Ejiofor) works one job after another. After working as a cab driver, he provides medical advice on his way to his night job at the front desk of a London hotel. Okwe is hiding a dark secret that extends beyond his obvious status as an illegal immigrant working odd jobs to make ends meet. He is obviously very intelligent. He rents a couch from Senay Gelik (Audrey Tautou), another immigrant who has obtained status as a refugee but is not legally permitted to work. Her work at the hotel could get her deported.

When Okwe discovers a human heart clogging the commode in one of the guest rooms, his conscience gets the best of him. His investigation causes some introspection that forces Okwe to make moral decisions that could help his friend Senay. Okwe is also burning the candle at both ends, working non-stop and staying awake with the use of herbs that he purchases at a local market. The organ Okwe discovered becomes the centerpiece of a mystery that begins to unravel as Okwe himself appears to begin unraveling. Beneath the struggle is a love story desperately seeking to emerge, but quashed by Okwe's past.

The characters in Dirty Pretty Things were interesting but contrived. The plot tried too hard to succeed. And ultimately, the story was predictable. I enjoyed the characters, but also found some of the decisions to be inconsistent and unbelievable. The dialogue was rich and well planned. The exchanges often pointed to other concepts that played into the story. This worked for explaining the inner turmoil of the characters but took away from some of the tension in the story. This caused the film to drag at times. For an hour and a half, it seemed longer. The writing was okay but not exceptional.

Ejiofor was exceptional. His character was interesting enough, but the performance added dimension to the role. Ejiofor brought an element of credibility to a part that lacked it at times. His interactions with Tautou were also credible. The pair appeared to have a legitimate intimacy. Tautou was also exceptional. Her character seemed inconsistent at times, but her performance was always spot on. The cast was well chosen to assist in adding depth to the characters.

I wanted to like Dirty Pretty Thingsmore than I did. This R rated movie had some sexual content, language and adult themes, but was handled with a light enough touch. Thirteen is probably a good starting point for age recommendations. I enjoy this genre and was hoping for a tightly woven story. Instead, it seemed thrown together, inconsistent and contrived. The overall themes and ideas were well thought out, which makes the final product a bit of a disappointment. On the strong acting of Ejiofor and Tautou, the film becomes worthy of a mild recommendation with 6/10.

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