Another BBC Films project back in 2002 when Dirty Pretty Things hit the big screen with Stephen Frears in the director's chair - a filmmaker that has worked with BBC Films on more than one occassion.
Dirty Pretty Things saw Audrey Tautou hot off the heels of her success with Amélie as she teamed up with Chiwetel Ejiofor for the first time. Ejiofor is one of the UK's most talented actors and has seen his star rocket over the last eighteen months after a stunning performance in 12 Years A Slave.
Dirty Pretty Things saw Frears back in the director's chair for the first time since Liam, while Steven Knight has penned the screenplay; Knight has gone on to write the scrips for Eastern Promises and, more recently, Locke.
The movie follows undocumented immigrants Okwe and Senay who work at a posh London hotel and live in constant fear of deportation. One night, Okwe stumbles across evidence of a bizarre murder, setting off a series of events that could lead to disaster -- or freedom.
Dirty Pretty Things was an interesting movie about economy, class, and immigration and was an interesting social commentary as well as a very entertaining and intelligent movie.
First and foremost, the script is terrific. Knight has gone on to become one of the best screenwriters around - last years' Locke was a perfect example of his writing talent - and Dirty Pretty Things was one of the films that really kicked off his career.
This script - as well as Frears' beauiful direction - strikes the perfect balance between drama and thos social commentary moments that work in this movie so well. This is a movie about oppression and what illegal immigrants are forced to do just to make a living. It was, and still is, a very controversial topic but Frears has handled it with respect as well as an awful lot of care.
A movie is nothing without its actors and Tautou and Ejiofor are two of the very best in the business. Dirty Pretty Things is perhaps not a movie that you automatically think of when you think about their careers, but they both given wonderful central performances.
Ejiofor is just terrific as Okwe, a doctor who is forced into low paid and odd jobs having made the move to London for a better life. Senay Gelik - played by Tautou - also faces exploitation and both of them are not living the life that they expected. Together they deliver very touching performances of those who are hanging on and trying to survive in a harsh and very tough world.
Dirty Pretty Things turns into a very intense and edge of your seat thriller as Frears takes our central characters - and the audience - on a dark ride that is full of twists, turns, and danger.
Dirty Pretty Things really is an absorbing watch that will keep you hooked from start to finish. You are rooting for the likeable as Frears tells this tale with darkness, humour, and a whole lot of heart.
Tagged in Audrey Tautou Stephen Frears Chiwetel Ejiofor