Sunday, May 25, 2008

Dirty Pretty Things (2002) R - 3½ Stars

A disturbing movie of an underground operation of human organs being sold on the black market. Amelie's star, Audrey Tautou, makes her debut speaking English in this movie and plays a chamber maid. Wanting to get to America, she is willing to do just about anything.

A Nigerian immigrant, Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a working as a hotel concierge and operating a cab in West London. He is rooming and also works with Senay (Audrey Tautou), an immigrant, from Turkey. The hotel is run by Senor "Sneaky" (Sergi Lopez), and a lot of shady business takes place there from drugs to prostitution.

Juliette (Sophie Okonedo) is a prostitute soliciting the hotel with one of it's guest. She makes a call to the front desk about a toilet not working properly. Okwe enters the room to fix the problem and walks into a underground human organ exchange. He finds a human heart has jammed the toilet.

Okwe shares the news with Senay who now both fear of being deported. Sneaky blackmails Okwe to stay quiet while Senay is lured into possibly selling one of her kidneys for a passport to America. But in the end, the tables and the good doctor gets more than he bargained for.

Awards include:
2003 - Dirty Pretty Things - National Board of Review - Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking.

Miramax Films
Director: Stephen Frears
Writer: Steve Knight
Producers: Robert Jones, Tracey Seaward
I viewed 3/07

1 comment:

Fox said...

I've always thought that the poster/box art for this movie was a little bizarre. It's obviously trying to market itself as a movie with a sexy Audrey Tautou in it, but it is very much NOT that.