A virtuoso and stylishly-made modern British variant within the indestructible genre of the film noir. The femme fatale, an essential ingredient, is doubly present: the mysterious Dil and the hard Jude, neither of whom is what they seem. Protagonist Fergus is not a gangster, but a soldier (or terrorist) for the IRA. His antagonist Jody is not a detective but a (black) soldier in the British Army. Fergus is holding Jody hostage. During this period of imprisonment, a bond develops between Fergus and Jody. After a dramatic and violent end to the imprisonment, when Jody dies, Fergus goes into hiding basically deserting from the IRA and decides to fulfil Jody’s last wish.Todd McCarthy (Variety): ‘An astonishingly good and daring film that richly develops several intertwined thematic lines, The Crying Game takes giant risks that are stunningly rewarded.’
