Dirty Pretty Things Film Review

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DIRTY PRETTY THINGS

Stephen Frears' spry thriller depicts a side to modern London which never makes it into the guide books: the run down urban sprawl which houses the thousands of refugees and asylum seekers who flood the capital.

Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a Nigerian national, living illegally in London, who works as a taxi driver by day and a hotel concierge by night. He barely makes enough money to get by, and what little remains is sent back home to his loved ones. Okwe room shares with Turkish refugee Senay (Audrey Tautou), a maid in the same hotel, who dreams of travelling to New York. The pair live in constant fear of raids by immigration officials, who will deport them both given the slightest provocation.

By chance, Okwe discovers a covert organ transplant operation in the hotel, and alerts the manager Sneaky (Sergi Lopez) to the underhand goings-on. It quickly becomes clear that Sneaky is involved with the organ ring, and the manager blackmails Okwe into keeping his mouth shut. When Senay agrees to sell one of her kidneys to finance her flight to America, Okwe steps in, and he orchestrates a daring plan to set them both free.

Director Frears entwines the central love story with a grisly medical thriller that will make you regret buying popcorn and hot dogs from the concessions stand.

The pivotal operation scene really does look like something out of a reality TV show, thanks to the grisly talents of the special effects department. Ejiofor and Tautou are both convincing as the invisible workers, horribly exploited by the authorities and unscrupulous employers. They generate a tender screen chemistry, bolstered by excellent supporting performances including Sophie Okonedo as a ballsy prostitute.

Dirty Pretty Things is a timely release, in tune with recent news stories about the flood of immigrants to this country. While some sections of the national media seem intent on kindling public opposition, Frears' film offers a sympathetic portrait of life on the other side of the cultural divide.