Dirty Pretty Things (2003)
89%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
16 wins & 28 nominations total
An illuminating and nuanced film about the exploitation of illegal immigrants.
Dirty Pretty Things is a movie that will make you feel like you need a shower after watching it, but in a good way. The film takes a deep dive into the lives of London’s exploited immigrants and asylum seekers, and it’s a wild ride from start to finish. The script is smart and the acting is top-notch, with characters that are both sympathetic and engaging. It’s a suspenseful thriller that also manages to be funny and completely disturbing at the same time. If you’re looking for a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you think, Dirty Pretty Things is definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Svensk Filmindustri
Distributor
Miramax Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual content, disturbing images and language
Year of Release
2003
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 34m
-
Language(s):English, Somali, Spanish, French
-
Country of origin:United Kingdom
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 11, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2004
Genre(s)
Crime/Mystery & Thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi López, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Wong, Sotigui Kouyaté, directed by Stephen Frears, written by Steven Knight, crime, mystery, thriller, drama, R rating, box office gross $8.1M, reviewed by David Ansen, David Stratton, J.R Jones, Wally Hammond, Sara Michelle Fetters, Marjorie Baumgarten, Jordan M Smith, Nick Rogers, Mark Halverson, Philip French, Joe Lozito, illegal immigrants, London, hotel attendant, prostitute, exploitation, human heart,
Worldwide gross: $13,904,766
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $22,537,842
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,673
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,457,780
US/Canada gross: $8,112,414
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,149,183
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,535
US/Canada opening weekend: $100,512
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $162,917
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,747
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $16,208,717
Production budget ranking: 1,472
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,728,394
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$2,399,269
ROI to date (est.): -10%
ROI ranking: 1,446
Audrey Tautou – Senay
Sergi López – Sneaky
Sophie Okonedo – Juliette
Benedict Wong – Guo Yi
Sotigui Kouyaté – Shinti
Director(s)
Stephen Frears
Writer(s)
Steven Knight
Producer(s)
Tracey Seaward, Robert Jones
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
16 wins & 28 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (143) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (135) | Rotten (8)
This hypnotic, chilling thriller deals with people living in the margins: in this case, London’s exploited immigrants…Steven Knight’s smart, if overly plotted, script delivers social insights tautly wrapped in genre thrills.
March 13, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
An intelligent and extremely well-made romantic drama that tells an intriguing story with economy and insight.
November 27, 2007
David Stratton
Variety
TOP CRITIC
An impressive mix of entertainment and social comment, spinning a great mystery even as it confronts an ugly world.
November 27, 2007
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A sympathetic, engaging and politically astute slice of modern urban realism, set in the twilight world of London’s community of recent immigrants and asylum seekers, and directed with Frears’ habitual professionalism and sensitivity.
January 26, 2006
Wally Hammond
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
With his new film, the 2002 Toronto Film Fest favorite Dirty Pretty Things, Frears returns to the realm of the dark and twisted with gutsy aplomb.
December 12, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
A fascinating sight to behold.
August 31, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
A suspenseful, often funny, completely disturbing thriller, Dirty Pretty Things is a gripping film right out of the gate.
November 19, 2020
Jordan M. Smith
IONCINEMA.com
Although Steve Knight’s Oscar-nominated script gets a bit on the nose discussing those who pretty that which we dirty, it tells a compelling tale of perseverance, with a final sound effect like hope gaining altitude.
September 25, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
Here he strikes a perfect balance between social commentary and melodrama, while nudging his actors to turn potentially stereotypical figures (eg, a virginal waif, a golden-hearted whore, a philosophical Chinese) into three-dimensional people.
November 27, 2007
Philip French
Observer (UK)
July 14, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Dirty Pretty Things benefits from the best script…hands down, written for a movie released in 2003
August 21, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer…
Plot
Okwe is an irregular Nigerian immigrant leading a hard life and struggling to survive in London’s underground. He works as a hotel receptionist in the night time and as he has a doctor degree he practices some medicine, during the day, in a very odd way. Besides that he must constantly escape from Immigration officers. One day Okwe discovers by chance an illegal scheme of surgeries is being lead by Juan, his boss in the hotel. Juan quickly comes up with a tempting proposal: if Okwe accepts to perform the illegal surgeries he makes a lot of money and gets legalized situation in the U.K. Can Okwe keep his moral values intact?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers a terrific performance as the conflicted protagonist, Okwe.
Stephen-Frears.jpg
