neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Dirty Pretty Things
	Stephen Frears Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi López, Benedict Wong 2002		The eminently eclectic career of respected director Stephen Frears has encompassed period drama ("Dangerous Liaisons"), gay romance ("My Beautiful Laundrette"), witty crime capers ("The Grifters") and more. With "Dirty Pretty Things," he takes a bypass to present-day England and travels into a shadow city of unregistered immigrants trapped in dead-end jobs. Upright Nigerian physician Okwe, trying to escape his past, has relocated to London, where he divides his time between driving a cab, working as a hotel clerk and dodging the authorities. He shares a flat with another illegal alien, a naïve Turkish chambermaid who's employed at the same hotel and dreams of moving to America. Okwe dotes on the girl. He's very protective of her, especially when she runs afoul of their praetorian boss, a bastard who uses the hotel as a front for a morbid black-market business. The maid and the boss are played by two big names from French cinema, Audrey Tautou ("Amélie") and Sergi López ("With a Friend Like Harry"), giving "Dirty Pretty Things" some star wattage. But the essence of this gutsy, effective film is compelling Chiwetel Ejiofor as Okwe, the ex-doctor forced to face dire ethical issues.