The Crying Game (1992)
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100% of critics liked it
(46 reviews) -
76% of users liked it
(29,758 ratings)
In this successful psychological thriller, a reluctant agent of the Irish Republican Army discovers that some people just aren't who you expect them to be. Fergus (Stephen Rea) is an IRA "volunteer" who, despite personal misgivings, takes part in the kidnapping of a black British… More In this successful psychological thriller, a reluctant agent of the Irish Republican Army discovers that some people just aren't who you expect them to be. Fergus (Stephen Rea) is an IRA "volunteer" who, despite personal misgivings, takes part in the kidnapping of a black British soldier, Jody (Forest Whitaker), stationed in Northern Ireland. The IRA hopes to use Jody as a bargaining chip to win the release of IRA operatives behind bars, but, while guarding Jody, Fergus becomes fast friends with his prisoner. Jody makes Fergus promise him that if he dies, Fegus will look in on his girlfriend, Dil (Jaye Davidson), and see if she's all right. Jody escapes, and Fergus doesn't have the heart to shoot him; as fate would have it, Jody runs from the woods into a street only to be run over by a British police vehicle, which then flushes out the IRA compound. Fergus escapes to London, where he's wanted by the law for Jody's kidnapping and also by his former girlfriend, IRA operative Jude (Miranda Richardson), who thinks he knows too much to fall into the hands of the British authorities. Good to his word, Fergus tracks down Dil, and soon the two outcasts find themselves entering into a love affair, although Fergus discovers that Dil is not the sort of woman he thought she was. Writer/director Neil Jordan won an Academy Award for his screenplay; the title song, which was a U.K. hit for Dave Berry in 1965, was re-recorded for the film by one-time Culture Club vocalist Boy George with backing by the Pet Shop Boys. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Neil Jordan
- Written By
- Neil Jordan
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Nov 25, 1992 Wide
- Studio
- Live Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
This thriller gives you an entertaining run for your money and some offbeat frissons along the way.
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Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
After luring us into what appears to be a classic they-gazed-at-each-other-across-an-empty-bar romantic setup, Jordan undermines our expectations so thoroughly that it's as if we've rediscovered our innocence as moviegoers.
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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.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Tthe film does work, raises a plethora of questions concerning loyalty, violence and the nature of desire, and is in some respects a summation of the various themes that have emerged from Jordan's work.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
The physical production is as lush as the film's romantic longings.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Stephen Rea
as Fergus
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Jaye Davidson
as Dil
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Miranda Richardson
as Jude
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Forest Whitaker
as Jody
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Jim Broadbent
as Col
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Adrian Dunbar
as Maguire
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Ralph Brown
as Dave
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Andre Bernard
as Jane
- Brian Coleman
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Breffni McKenna
as Tinker
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Joe Savino
as Eddie
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Tony Slattery
as Deveroux
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Birdy Sweeney
as Tommy
- Chris Rea
- Susie Figgis
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Jack Carr
as Franknum



