The Crying Game (1992)

I watched this film recently and still to this day after twenty-four years it makes quite an impact. Seeing it on a nice flat screen TV really felt like watching it in a theatre, which is wonderful and the way it's meant to be seen. I remember I first heard of it when I noticed a review of it in a newspaper. At the time, I did not know it was only a few weeks after its release. I didn't know it initially opened in only six theatres across the country. There was a picture above the review, which I never read. At first I thought it was Richard Gere holding a gun in an authoritative pose outside an amusement park.The film was in theatres for the next five months and was nominated for several Academy Awards and ended up making big bank; much bigger than I ever expected. At the time, however, I didn't care at all about box office and awards. The movie poster intrigued me. It looked like something with style, and it definitely has substance.Well I never saw it in theatres. I was only fourteen at the time, so I suppose I was regarded as impressionable.Some time passed, so I did not see it until I was nineteen. I found it mostly boring. I thought the revealing of Dil's (Jaye Davidson) true gender was the most interesting aspect.Then I watched it again a few years later and it was like watching it from a somewhat different perspective. I found it engaging and sympathetic. I suppose it to be relatable at a certain age. Additionally, I am so captivated by how Fergus a.k.a. Jimmy (Stephen Rea) is so assured throughout. He seems emotionally balanced, although I am sure there are moments when he expresses confusion and ferocity; it is evenly displayed. This film has everything: action, drama, romance, and intrigue. Plus there is Jim Broadbent as a sexy bartender. These performances are all the way unforgettable. I have come to a realization that to me, this is the best film of 1992. This was definitely robbed at the Oscars for that year. The two actors deserved their awards, as well as winning Best Picture.

Just like a stinging slap to the face - 1992's "The Crying Game" gleefully delivered its "surprise twist" with the heavy-handed blow of a true sadist..... I would easily say that this "club-one-over-the-head" surprise-twist business was undoubtedly the only real reason why anyone would ever remember "The Crying Game", which I found to be a disappointingly poor excuse for a movie if there ever was one.These cheap, sensationalistic tactics that were meant to surprise the audience quickly brought a fairly intriguing story that initially concerned IRA hostage-taking, and whatnot, to an absolute dead-halt. And from that point on-wards, "The Crying Game" literally wallowed in its "surprise twist" for the remainder of the story.With there being no mercy in sight - "The Crying Game" was shamelessly "trans"-formed (hint-hint) into a less-than-satisfying soap opera, where those trite, crass words "I love you" were only to be spoken with any real sincerity at the point of a gun.... And so, with that - It was shame-shame on "The Crying Game".... (sniffle-sniffle)

While it is famously known for its unexpected twist (though something doesn't feel right all along, one wouldn't expect it happen and with such graphic display), there are a lot more interesting elements to keep the audience invested throughout its runtime. It is very difficult to categorize the story into a specific genre as it touches different themes like conflicts between loyalty and affinity, sexuality, loneliness and monophobia with great ease and finesse. Another big positive is its masterful screenplay which binds many different story lines without rushing or underdeveloping any aspect and at the same time expertly placing beautiful moments at strategic places.Jody (Forest Whitaker), a British soldier gets seduced into a trap laid by IRS and becomes a hostage where he befriends one of his captors Fergus (Stephen Rea) who mutually responds to the affinity. A day comes when Fergus has to execute Jody but couldn't because of their bonding and Jody makes a run for it realizing that but gets crushed by an incoming tank of the British army who eventually annihilate the IRS camp. Assuming everyone to be dead, Fergus moves to Britain and starts living an anonymous life while looking for Dil (Jaye Davidson), who Jody mentions to be very special and requests Fergus to meet her. Fergus has to cope up with Dil's secret and his past catching up to him.Performances: Forest Whitaker starts off the proceedings well with a charismatic role with a small screen time that needs to be remembered throughout the movie. The mantle is carried forward excellently by Stephen Rea but the eventual showstopper is a career defining performance by Jaye Davidson as Dil with varying character arcs who is confident yet vulnerable and longing yet stubborn. Also a special mention goes to the bartender who plays an entertaining role. The rest of the actors does a decent job, they may not have layered characterizations but they settle into their roles well.Filmmaking: From the outset it looks like a slow building drama while the brilliance lies in its writing which brings various themes, story arcs and characters with such smoothness that it takes time to realize that the course of the story has changed from time to time. The director knows his winning moments as he invests enough of his runtime for such scenes which actually lingers on audience minds long after watching the movie. Almost always a conventional successful story is one which makes the audience to look forward to know how it concludes - 'Crying Game' is no different but with its unconventional theme and background it also adds an element of mystery and suspense making it even better. The background score does a great job by staying in the background, it is neither intrusive nor out of key and blends well with the proceedings on the screen.A slow building multi-layered original drama with beautiful moments and unexpected twists

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