Movie Review #2: Dirty Pretty Things

My first movie night ever was a success! Absolutely nobody showed up, and I got to watch an entire movie by myself.

I would have also accepted having people over to watch the movie with me, but nobody had ever heard of this one except for Stephanie, the person who gave it to me for Christmas. So, I wasn't really surprised at the lack of attendance. I had no idea what I was in for, either.

Full review after the jump~

Synopsis

This is the cover of the DVD, basically:

From this, I was expecting a thriller of some sort (judging by the suggestion of a knife in the title), starring a pretty girl... it kind of makes me think of something along the lines of Scream or I Know What You'd Did Last Summer. I'm not really into that sort of movie, but I was willing to watch it anyway since it was a gift.

What I got instead was a drama about British immigration.

The main character is an African immigrant who, despite an education as a doctor, is working two jobs as a taxi driver and hotel attendant while living in London illegally. He takes shelter with a naive Turkish woman who is there with a limited visa and should not be working at the nearby hotel. He never allows himself to sleep. She dreams of one day moving to New York.

Things get complicated when he finds out about the seedy business going down in the hotel, a business which threatens to involve him very soon.

Review

This film had an odd pacing. The cover labels it as a "thriller," but the movie never once felt thrilling in the sense of imminent danger or anything of the sort. If anything I would consider this a drama, since the movie gives you plenty of time (maybe too much time) to understand the desperate situation these characters are in. In the end, it's not bodily harm that threatens the main character. Instead, it's a problem of conscience: will he give into the temptation of joining the hotel's shady business, or will he stay clean?

In brief: if you like the idea of a character wrestling with a moral quandary over the backdrop of British illegal immigration, then this movie may be for you! It can get a little tedious at times, but it's worth watching.

To tell any more enters into spoiler territory.

The acting was good, and definitely seemed to be an early start for several actors who have since made big names for themselves.

Conclusion

I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see this movie. It's interesting, but not something I would watch again. Still, it's a movie that slowly builds up to something powerful, so I'm glad I watched it.

It did not inspire me to write a huge review about it, however.