The Crying Game
3/4
Starring: Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Miranda Richardson, Adrian Dunbar, Jim Broadbent, Forest Whitaker
Rated R for Sexuality, Strong Violence and Language
A movie like "The Crying Game" is so difficult to make that it's a wonder that movies like it are made at all. That it's done so well makes it all the more astonishing. This movie is so layered, so complicated and so deep that it puts most other films to shame.
The movie starts out simply. Jody (Whitaker) is a British soldier kidnapped and held hostage by a group of IRA terrorists. One of his captors, Fergus (Rea), makes the mistake of befriending his captive. Jody reveals that he has a lover named Dil (Davidson), and makes Fergus promise to check in on her. Fergus agrees.
Years later, Fergus puts his violent activities with the IRA behind him and is living the simple life of a laborer in London. But he remembers his promise to Jody and finds his captive's lover, the sensual and alluring Dil...
Revealing more would spoil the fun, so I will be vague. Yet "The Crying Game" isn't "Seven." It doesn't deal with violent shocks and gripping suspense. There is a twist halfway through that made "The Crying Game" famous, but it's about so much more than that.
"The Crying Game" is about love in all its forms. What's the difference between platonic and romantic love, and where is the line drawn? What emotions are at the heart of love? And more importantly, what concessions are we able to accept in order to be with those we love? Writer/director Neil Jordan may ask those questions in a thriller, but they're still there all the same. And this isn't just surface value stuff. Jordan explores them thoroughly even though he cannot definitely answer them.
The actors are all effective, and in one instance, exceptional. Stephen Rea may be too laid back to be truly believable in the role of Fergus (which Jody points out), but he's an effective stand-in for ourselves. Miranda Richardson is chilling as Jude, Fergus's psychotic partner. And Forest Whitaker is gives one of his best performances as Jody, the captive who remains charming and friendly even in the most dire of circumstances.
The key role in this film is that of Dil. It's a role that is as essential to film history as Anthony Hopkins' interpretation of Hannibal Lector or Heath Ledger's Joker. Without an effective Dil, the movie would not work at all. Stanley Kubrick said as much when he suggested that the role might be "uncastable." Actually it was blind luck that they found Jaye Davidson at a party. It's an incredible performance in a role that demands a lot of range and depth.
I have a few bones to pick with this film. The film's dialogue is at times too arch and ironic to be believable, such as when Fergus and Dil use the helpful bartender Cor (Broadbent) to relay what they're saying to each other even though they are sitting five feet away from each other. It's not quirky and it doesn't add anything to the film. It's just a gimmick, and not an especially good one. And while the merging of the romance and thriller elements is ambitious, it's not done elegantly. It also demands that a previously smart and confident character become a petulant drama queen and undergo a frontal lobotomy. Character assassination like this is the work of bad screenwriting.
"The Crying Game" is a divisive film and demands discussion. It certainly raises a lot of issues best discussed over a cup of coffee. Some will love it. Some will hate it. But no one will forget it.
Starring: Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Miranda Richardson, Adrian Dunbar, Jim Broadbent, Forest Whitaker
Rated R for Sexuality, Strong Violence and Language
A movie like "The Crying Game" is so difficult to make that it's a wonder that movies like it are made at all. That it's done so well makes it all the more astonishing. This movie is so layered, so complicated and so deep that it puts most other films to shame.
The movie starts out simply. Jody (Whitaker) is a British soldier kidnapped and held hostage by a group of IRA terrorists. One of his captors, Fergus (Rea), makes the mistake of befriending his captive. Jody reveals that he has a lover named Dil (Davidson), and makes Fergus promise to check in on her. Fergus agrees.
Years later, Fergus puts his violent activities with the IRA behind him and is living the simple life of a laborer in London. But he remembers his promise to Jody and finds his captive's lover, the sensual and alluring Dil...
Revealing more would spoil the fun, so I will be vague. Yet "The Crying Game" isn't "Seven." It doesn't deal with violent shocks and gripping suspense. There is a twist halfway through that made "The Crying Game" famous, but it's about so much more than that.
"The Crying Game" is about love in all its forms. What's the difference between platonic and romantic love, and where is the line drawn? What emotions are at the heart of love? And more importantly, what concessions are we able to accept in order to be with those we love? Writer/director Neil Jordan may ask those questions in a thriller, but they're still there all the same. And this isn't just surface value stuff. Jordan explores them thoroughly even though he cannot definitely answer them.
The actors are all effective, and in one instance, exceptional. Stephen Rea may be too laid back to be truly believable in the role of Fergus (which Jody points out), but he's an effective stand-in for ourselves. Miranda Richardson is chilling as Jude, Fergus's psychotic partner. And Forest Whitaker is gives one of his best performances as Jody, the captive who remains charming and friendly even in the most dire of circumstances.
The key role in this film is that of Dil. It's a role that is as essential to film history as Anthony Hopkins' interpretation of Hannibal Lector or Heath Ledger's Joker. Without an effective Dil, the movie would not work at all. Stanley Kubrick said as much when he suggested that the role might be "uncastable." Actually it was blind luck that they found Jaye Davidson at a party. It's an incredible performance in a role that demands a lot of range and depth.
I have a few bones to pick with this film. The film's dialogue is at times too arch and ironic to be believable, such as when Fergus and Dil use the helpful bartender Cor (Broadbent) to relay what they're saying to each other even though they are sitting five feet away from each other. It's not quirky and it doesn't add anything to the film. It's just a gimmick, and not an especially good one. And while the merging of the romance and thriller elements is ambitious, it's not done elegantly. It also demands that a previously smart and confident character become a petulant drama queen and undergo a frontal lobotomy. Character assassination like this is the work of bad screenwriting.
"The Crying Game" is a divisive film and demands discussion. It certainly raises a lot of issues best discussed over a cup of coffee. Some will love it. Some will hate it. But no one will forget it.
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