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The Crying Game
Irish Republican Army member Fergus forms an unexpected bond with Jody, a kidnapped British soldier in his custody, despite the warnings of fellow IRA members Jude and Maguire. Jody makes Fergus promise he'll visit his girlfriend, Dil, in London, and when Fergus flees to the city, he seeks her out. Hounded by his former IRA colleagues, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the enigmatic, and surprising, Dil.
1992 · Directed by Neil Jordan · 112 min · Crime · Drama · Thriller · Screenplay in the scene database · 16 frames
Tagline
...play it at your own risk.
Plot
At a rural fairground in Northern Ireland, a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit kidnaps Jody, a Black British soldier. A female member of the IRA unit, Jude, had lured Jody to a secluded area by promising sex. The unit intends to hold Jody in exchange for the release of an imprisoned IRA member; if the prisoner is not released within three days, the unit plans to execute Jody.
Fergus, a volunteer in the unit, is assigned to stand guard over Jody. The men bond, with Jody relating the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog to Fergus. Aware that he may not survive, Jody asks Fergus to find his lover Dil and check on Dil's well-being in the event of his demise. When the captors' deadline passes without their demands being met, Fergus is ordered to take Jody into the woods to kill him. However, Jody attempts to escape and Fergus, unwilling to shoot Jody in the back, chases after him. As Jody flees, he runs across a road and is struck and killed by an oncoming Alvis Saracen.
The British Army attacks the IRA unit and Fergus escapes, believing his companions to have died in the attack. He flees to London, assuming the alias "Jimmy" and finding work as a day labourer. A few months later, Fergus finds Dil at a hair salon, where Jody had told him that she worked as a stylist. He follows Dil to a bar, and they flirt. Fergus and Dil develop a relationship, and Fergus falls in love with Dil. As the two are about to become intimate, Dil undresses, and Fergus sees Dil's male genitalia. Fergus, initially repulsed, accidentally hits Dil in the face and leaves Dil's apartment. After some reflection, he apologizes to Dil in a note, and they reconcile.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Written by: Neil Jordan
- Cinematography: Ian Wilson
- Edited by: Kant Pan
- Music: Anne Dudley
- Production design: Jim Clay
- Produced by: Stephen Woolley
Cast
- Stephen Rea as Fergus
- Miranda Richardson as Jude
- Jaye Davidson as Dil
- Forest Whitaker as Jody
- Adrian Dunbar as Maguire
- Breffni McKenna as Tinker
- Joe Savino as Eddie
- Birdy Sweeney as Tommy
- Andrée Bernard as Jane
- Jim Broadbent as Col
Production
- Country: United Kingdom, Japan
- Language: English, French
- Studios: Palace Pictures, Eurotrustees, Film4 Productions, Nippon Film Development and Finance
- Budget: $3,705,538
- Box office: $62,548,947
- Themes: love of one's life, transsexuality, hostage, secret identity, british army, northern ireland, betrayal, teenage crush, soldier, ira (irish republican army)
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