'Dirty Pretty Things' promises little but delivers a great deal

Quite the best of the week's new releases; a powerful story of a group of immigrants in London. The story is set in a small hotel and follows the fortunes - and otherwise - of the largely foreign staff; as interesting a group of people as you could find anywhere.

Fri, 14 Feb, 2003 - 10:47

Lost in London

Dirty Pretty Things

Director: Stephen Frears

Cast: Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonodo, Benedict Wong

Cert: 15.

Quite the best of the week's new releases; a powerful story of a group of immigrants in London.

The story is set in a small hotel and follows the fortunes - and otherwise - of the largely foreign staff; as interesting a group of people as you could find anywhere.

They all have their problems - lonely, lost in a dismal city, friendless, without much hope for the future - yet Frears never allows them, or us, to wallow in depression. He streaks the film with a degree of optimism and humour and draws some excellent performances from his cast.

It is the sort of film, which promises little but delivers a great deal; it is a gem of film-making, a thoughtful and richly human piece.

Star Rating: 4/5

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