The Crying Game

Anyone over the age of 25 can remember the hysteria that came with the "secret" of The Crying Game. In 1992, the small Irish film directed by Neil Jordan (Interview With The Vampire) became the subject of a media blitz when the producers worked hard to hide (and publicise) the film's "shocking" twist. And it certainly worked to their advantage. The film grossed $65 million in North America despite its less than five-million dollar budget. It also managed six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. But The Crying Game had something else going for it too: it was an excellent film. The Crying Game is about Fergus (Stephen Rea), an Irish Republican Army volunteer, and Jody (Forest Whitaker), a kidnapped British soldier, who becomes friends after Jody is captured by Jude (Miranda Richardson), another IRA member. When the kidnapping scheme goes horribly wrong, Fergus escapes to London to find Jody's lover, Dil (Jaye Davidson). But Dil has a secret, and that is where this plot summary ends. Fifteen years after its release, Lions Gate is releasing a special edition DVD. The film itself holds up well with time, though as far as the secret goes it's amazing how naive audiences were because it seems pretty evident from the get-go today. But the story remains incredibly intelligent and intricate (Jordan received the film's sole Oscar for writing the screenplay), and the performances of the four main actors are of the highest calibre. The film mixes dark comedy and suspense, and really forces its audience to care about the characters and the situations. The special features on the DVD seem somewhat minimal to be fit for a "special edition." There is the typical commentary by Jordan, as well as an alternate ending. There are also two featurettes, one about the making of the film and another examining the war in Northern Ireland as depicted in the film. But special features aside, this film is worth revisiting simply for the movie itself. And if you don't know the secret, just watch to see if you can figure it out. (Lions Gate)