The Crying Game is a 1992 drama about a British soldier kidnapped by IRA terrorists who soon befriends one of his captors, who then becomes drawn into the soldier’s world.
Some films are more famous for a twist than the story or characters themselves, and while M. Night Shyamalan‘s The Sixth Sense might be the first title on list of such movies, certainly Neil Jordan‘s The Crying Game comes in at number two. On release back in 1992, this was the movie everyone was talking about, desperate to hold back the startling secret it had in store for unaware audiences. It follows the story of Fergus (Stephen Rea), an Irish Republican Army volunteer, who forms a tenuous friendship with a kidnapped British soldier (Forest Whitaker). When events lead Fergus to look for the man’s lover in London, he finds a hairdresser named Dil (Jaye Davidson), and it’s not long before things heat up, Dil not knowing about Fergus’s IRA background and Fergus not knowing about a little something Dil is keeping secret as well. Even without the twist, The Crying Game is a solid thriller well worth a watch.
THE LAST WORD
An impressive set of performances from the cast and a terrific story make this an unconventional romantic crime drama that still impacts today.
Not much is wrong here, a film that is very well-written and acted. The twist will be the thing, meant to be shocking, and whether you’re on board or not will make or break it.