Dirty Pretty Things

Director: Stephen Frears
Year Released: 2002
Rating: 2.0

Better to think of this as a character study than anything else, since Frears takes until the third act to really get into the movie's 'bigger ideas' and to start working on all the plot points. Problems with logic (what moron thought the heart would flush? what moron thought that was a good metaphor?), some questionable acting (Sergi López relishes his villainy a tad too much) and spotty dialogue undermine the tip-top performance by a commanding Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is a genuine find. Frears' multinational side-characters add color (especially Benedict Wong, who has exquisite delivery), but I sense more than a little paranoia about the illegal alien problem in England. Of course, if those illegal aliens are qualified doctors, well, that's fine then....