The Crying Game (1992)

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a film that draws your attention from the first minute to the last minute. All the three acts are in disparate styles. Every time you think it should go one way, it goes the other, and the plot is just wildly unpredictable and twisted. The lines are also written well, especially the story of the Scorpion and the Frog. In the film, Forest Whitaker already showed a strong potential in acting, and it was no surprise that he won the Oscar later. Stephen Rea and Jaye Davidson perhaps give their career-best performances.

An IRA thug who falls for his prisoner's girlfriend. That's about as direct as it gets when it comes to summarizing "The Crying Game" (at least as far DVD cover blurbs go). But it's much more than that. Fate, deception, guilt, love - it's about all of those as well, but to discount it as centering on the twist is completely unfair. To me, the best thing about this movie is that it ended up being entirely different from how it began. And along the way, there are great performances (Stephen Rea and Jaye Davidson, in particular), striking cinematography and engaging direction to its credit.Note: If you've ever seen a certain Jim Carrey movie, then you know the twist I'm talking about. The reason I bring this up is because the movie stands on its own very well despite this spoiler, and remains absolutely worth seeing.7/10

Neil Jordan's The Crying Game is certainly no ordinary love story, it is far from it. This gripping drama boasts some of powerhouse performances by a surprising cast and awe- spectacular writing that fuels it into one of the most inspiring and captivating romance flick that greatly defies expectations from the opening moments to the shocking twist that defines the final act. This film stars Forest Whitaker as Jody, a British soldier who develops a romance with a cute blondie named Jude (played by Miranda Richardson) at a state fair, only to set up for a trap that results in him kidnapped by a group of Irish terrorists lead by Maguire (played by Adrian Dunbar). Taking him hostage, the terrorists hold him captive in their house deep in the woods while Ferguson (played by Stephen Rea), one of the members of the group forms an unexpected bond with Jody, much to the terrorist's dismay. When the hostage situation goes suddenly awry, Fergus flees to London where he finds Jody's lover Dil (played by Jaye Davidson). Adopting the name Jimmy, Fergus develops a relationship with Dil who he hides his affiliation with the Irish terrorist group from. When Fergus discovers Dil is not exactly who he believe she was, he finds himself in a potentially dangerous situation. As I mentioned, this is a type of film that requires viewers to take to their expectations and push them aside. And this does quite a diligent job at putting viewers' expectations to the test. From the opening scene, the film blesses viewers with a dark, but gripping story and it moves at a very steady pace. The pacing can be frustrating to some viewers who demand for a frenetic-driven story, but as it builds up to its shocking twist and the intense aftermath that follows it grows more and more cohesive to where the slow pacing succeeds to make sense. And much of this is thanks to Neil Jordan's enchanting screenplay. Perhaps the screenplay is not the only element that drives the film but also the performances by the cast. Forest Whitaker is quite engaging in what is arguably the best role he's demonstrated in his career. The bond between his character and Fergus played by Stephen Rea is strongly effective and enough to grip audiences' attention. Stephen Rea delivers a gripping performance as well, but the biggest appeal comes from Jaye Davidson who strives one of the most powerful (and criminally underrated) performances I have seen in a long time. Davidson nails the role with astounding conviction, and blesses the film with a performance that is too powerful to ignore. The Crying Game is a very powerful and unpredictable film that deserves the attention of many, and an intense thriller that delivers more than what moviegoers may bargain for. The screenplay, performances , and the overall direction by Neil Jordan earn solid praise, and make an awe inspiring film that stands above many films of its decade.

This film is somewhat strange in the sense that it feels like a political thriller for one portion of the film, but then throws you into a romantic story immediately after this (and aspects of the political thriller come back later). The first story is terrific in that it shows us an interesting bond between a soldier held hostage and the man who is assigned to watch him at gunpoint. It seems like a very tense story at first, but a good amount of humor emerges from the interactions between the two men to keep some of the tension at bay.I have to keep myself limited in my comments because what causes the "first part" to end and the "second part" to begin is a spoiler in itself. I don't feel at liberty to say much about the second part, but I will give it a try. The main points you need to know about the second part are that a romantic relationship develops and that a third party threatens the "couple" formed in this section of the film. Also, the midpoint of the film reveals a twist which made me uncomfortable for the rest of the film's duration, but did not necessarily cause it to be a bad film in my eyes.The film is well-executed and makes you think about important topics and issues which I will not get into here since it would spoil the movie. You simply need to watch the film in order to experience it; there are too many ways to spoil the movie if I get too in depth in my criticism. So I will leave you with the fact that the movie is well-executed, but the story is not the most enticing and I felt uncomfortable for a large portion of the movie. If you're willing to give a mysterious film which I'd say is a 7/10 a chance, go for it. If not, that's fine too.3.0/4.0