7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Okwe, a kind-hearted Nigerian doctor, and Senay, a Turkish chambermaid, work at the same West London hotel. The hotel is run by Senor "Sneaky" and is the sort of place where "dirty business" like drug dealing and prostitution takes place. However, when Okwe finds a human heart in one of the toilets, he uncovers something far more sinister than just a common crime.
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi López, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict WongThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.84:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There's a lot to love about Director Stephen Frears' (The Queen) Dirty Pretty Things, chief amongst them that it's different. The movie doesn't really fall into any one category, even if it shows sighs of the Thriller, the Drama, and the Character Study. It's a smooth, intoxicating picture, one that effortlessly pulls the audience into the dark London world where anything can happen and everything does. Best, the movie is incredibly well acted, headlined by a pair of highly talented performers at their very best and supported by several very strong, seamless efforts. The movie is thematically dark but not overwhelmingly so from a visual perspective. It's often impossible to predict where the movie is going, how it's going to get there, or when a shift will occur. It's extraordinarily well paced, even if it's more of a deliberate dialogue-heavy and character arc-based film. In short, there's really nothing to dislike about the movie. It's not for everyone, but anyone interested in a movie that diverges from the mainstream without playing as too odd or detached from reality should make sure to watch Dirty Pretty Things.
I can't stop looking at this lamp...
Dirty Pretty Things features an underwhelming 1080p transfer. The image enjoys the expected boost in resolution and stability on larger surfaces over the DVD, but never really looks significantly better than an unconverted SD image. Colors range from overly warm to nicely balanced. Lower-light interiors, and almost all of the hotel lobby scenes, take on a noticeably warm tint that affects faces, clothes, and backgrounds alike, giving every color a noticeably red push. Bright outdoor scenes, such as one taking place in an outdoor market earlier in the film, offer far more vibrant and accurate colors. Flesh tones vary from scene to scene, and black levels are adequate. Detailing rarely impresses, at least not to the level of the best Blu-ray titles. There are a few scattered good-looking textures, such as exterior brick walls or the fine lines and printing on surgical masks as seen in one scene, but faces and clothes and even the ornate elements around the hotel look completely flat and devoid of all but the most basic details. There's a touch of background blocking but not much in terms of banding and edge halos. Speckles and pops are few and far between. It's not pretty and it's not dirty, instead falling somewhere in between.
Dirty Pretty Things features a fairly active and enjoyable DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It should come as no surprise that it lacks the brilliant clarity and absolute realism of superior tracks, but Echo Bridge's audio presentation more than suffices and, indeed, delivers a fairly involved and enjoyable listen. Things begin rather poorly with minimal, uninteresting, muddled ambience at an airport, where overhead jets, rolling luggage and carts, and chatty people never really create a thorough, convincing environment. Things improve as the movie moves along. Heavier train rumblings, the din of an outdoor marketplace in chapter three, encircling music in chapter nine, full city ambience in chapter twelve, and all sorts of nicely and surprisingly immersive elements do well to draw the audience into the film. Musical clarity and spacing is fine, and dialogue, the film's bread-and-butter sonic element, plays with good center-focused balance and sufficient clarity. It won't set the world, or even modest sound systems, on fire, but Dirty Pretty Things sounds pretty good on Blu-ray, all things considered.
Dirty Pretty Things contains the following two supplements:
Dirty Pretty Things is a fabulous picture, completely absorbing though emotionally challenging and, sometimes, visually difficult. It's not necessarily graphic, but the scenarios, the unseen, and the possible are enough to make audiences squirm. It's a complete package sort of movie, a movie that's unique, intoxicating, well-written, nicely directed, perfectly paced, and exceptionally acted. In short, Dirty Pretty Things is one of 2002's best, not to be missed for many reasons, not the least of which is the standout performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of Dirty Pretty Things features adequate video, good audio, and a couple of supplements. Highly recommended on the strength of the film.
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