Rent The Crying Game (1992)

The good the bad and the OK - The Crying Game review by JD

Some brilliant acting notably by Miranda Richardson, Forest Whitaker was good but was not up to his usual brilliance, and some fairly dire performances too. There are twists that keep the plot going enough to be quite watchable.

A provocative, controversial but also deeply emotional film, despite some glaring issues - The Crying Game review by TB

After watching & loving The Brave One, I was interested to see more of Neil Jordan's work. And when researching his filmography, there is one movie which immediately jumps out, due not only to it's success including multiple award nominations/wins, but the continued firestorm of controversy that still surrounds it. After watching it, whilst I can see why some people reacted to it with shock, it is much more than the lurid headlines.

Fergus is an IRA volunteer who is part of a group who kidnaps Jody, a British soldier, to attempt to force the government to release a member of the IRA, saying they will kill him unless their demands are met. Whilst the other members are hostile & violent, Fergus forms a bond with Jody. When it is clear Jody is going to be killed, he makes Fergus promise to go to London, find his wife Dil and tell her how much he (Jody) loved her. After the hostage situation goes awry, Fergus deserts the IRA & moves to England. However, when he meets Dil, he finds himself in an unbelievably complex situation challenging everything he thought he knew about himself.

In terms of acting, Rea is amazing. A highly accomplished theatre actor who had worked extensively before & after this film with Neil Jordan, he is excellent. The conflict & internal torment that Fergus feels is etched all over Rea's face, whether in his loyalty to the IRA, his own beliefs or his falling-in-love with the wife of the man he was partly responsible for the death of.

Forrest Whittaker is also great, having to in 20 minutes make the sort of profound impact that sustains the story for its hour 40 runtime. And rounding this all off is Jaye Davidson as Dil. This is by far the most difficult role to play, as it requires unbelievable levels of nuance & ability. And for the most part, Davidson is outstanding, really making us believe & feel intense pity & compassion for a deeply conflicted person.

However, despite the 4 stars (and make no mistake, I really enjoyed this film & it's willingness to go to places which in the 90's were completely ignored by the film industry,) there are some issues which occasionally can distract from the story. For example, as much as Davidson is great, there are a couple of scenes where the performance suddenly goes from amazing to wooden & leaden, especially the delivery of lines. And this is quite jarring, like it was being read from the script, seeing as most of the time the acting is amazing.

Also, despite there being valid reasons for this (when you watch the special features & know the film's history of trying to get made/funding, it's staggering it managed to even get off the ground,) the film as a whole doesn't look particularly good. The sets, even when factoring in the micro-budget, look terrible & tacky, like the cast-offs from another low-budget film. Dil's flat makes Withnail & Marwood's flat look like the Ritz. The cinematography is also often more distracting than mesmerising; I think the look they were aiming for was a kind of dream-like smokey atmosphere, but this often just looked like the film stock wasn't processed correctly. This film is crying out for a 4K remaster.

But I did enjoy it. It is very well written, not just wanting to provoke & shock; it deals with big, weighty subjects without judgement (sexuality, belonging, indoctrination, freedom) and finally, really has a good ending. Definitely worth a watch.

Recommended - but it's not a film to watch with your granny :) - The Crying Game review by RP

Not sure what genre this film falls into: it's a sort of cross between a sexual / psychological / terrorist / thriller story. It's a tale of two halves. In the first half, the story goes like this: during the Troubles in N Ireland, a British soldier in civvies (Jody, played by Forest Whitaker managing a half decent Brit accent) is picked up at a fairground and lured away by a blonde girl (Jude, played by Miranda Richardson). He is kidnapped by the IRA and held hostage, guarded by Fergus (very well played by Stephen Rea) who strike up a sort of friendship. Jody knows he will be killed and asks Fergus to 'look after' his girlfriend Dil (well played by Jaye Davidson), at home in London. The IRA's demands are not met and Fergus is assigned to execute Jody. In the second half, Fergus has travelled to England to escape his IRA ex-colleagues and is working on a building site under the name of Jimmy. He looks up Jody's girl Dil and falls for her, but all is not what it seems. And at the end, the IRA come looking for Fergus/Jimmy to get him to do one last job...

The film won an Oscar for Best Screenplay and was nominated for several other awards. The character of Jimmy/Fergus is key to the film, and apart from the excellent screenplay (written by director Neil Jordan) it is the acting of Stephen Rea which is central to the film's success. I enjoyed it, but it's not a film to watch with your granny :) Recommended – 4/5 stars.