This is under N because of director Neil Jordan who did win an Oscar for the film.
Writer: Neil Jordan (Screenplay)
Starring: Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Forest Whitaker, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent
Plot: A British soldier kidnapped by IRA terrorists soon befriends one of his captors, who then becomes drawn into the soldier’s world.
Tagline – The movie everyone is talking about… But no one is giving away its secrets.
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Tense Romance
Story: The Crying Game starts when British solider Jody (Whitaker) is kidnapped by the IRA with Fergus (Rea) being one of the captors, one that befriends him, while Maguire (Dunbar) wants to keep the operation professional, with a good chance of wanting to kill him at the end of their demands.
After the hostage situation goes badly, Fergus heads to England in search of Jody’s girl, here he gets to meet Dil (Davidson) a hairdresser that he looks to get to know more about.
Thoughts on The Crying Game
Characters – Fergus is a member of the IRA who on his latest mission becomes friends with the hostage and after things go bad, he wants out of the terrorist group, he tries to start a new life where he meets the partner of the hostage, getting conflicted with his own feelings, even after his past catches up with him. Jody is the solider that is the hostage that befriends Fergus during his capture, he shows Fergus that they might be on opposite sides, but they both just want to live. Dil is the woman that Jody is always talking about back home that Fergus comes to see and falls for, she does however have a secret which will leave Fergus shocked, while any more detail about this character is spoiler heavy. Jude is one of the partners in the IRA, she has been baiting the soldier and then spends her time searching for Fergus after the incident which went wrong.
Performances – Stephen Rea is brilliant in the leading role showing the remorse of somebody that didn’t want to be involved in murder, looking like he is trying to make up for it through the film. Jaye Davidson is wonderful too with their first role, which nabbed them an Oscar nomination. Forest Whitaker and Miranda Richardson in the supporting roles are both strong when they need to make the impact in the film.
Story – The story here follows an IRA fighter that sees his latest mission go sour, leading him to want to make up and escape the life he had been thrown into. When it comes to any film about the IRA, we will always have to step carefully, while this shows a member wanting to new life, which shows how difficult it could be to get out off the life, while also showing us how what seems like a normal relationship for him, could take a dramatic turn needing someone to look at themselves when it comes to love. We do see the story in two clear acts, with one being the hostage situation, the other being the aftermath, which does keep the pacing at a nice entertaining level.
Crime/Romance – The crime side of this film shows us just how the IRA would operate, how things wouldn’t always go to plan, while the romance comes from Fergus trying to put his life back together after what happened in Ireland, showing us how love can change people.
Settings – The film uses two main locations, firs the hideout in Ireland where the soldier is held captive, then we move to London to show a new life, new setting for Fergus to learn about.
Scene of the Movie – The surprise.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Knowing the surprise going in.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting story that seems to be about remorse and recovery after being involved in a terrible incident, one that love looks to fix, however unlikely it is for our leading character.
Overall: Surprise crime romance.
