Okay, there’s
no avoiding this, The Crying Game has
a twist. And it’s been parodied and referenced so often, it’s nearly impossible
to go into this movie pure. Had no idea
what the movie was about, but damn it, I knew there was a dick in it.
Initially, I’ll admit, I was on “dick watch”. Just looking for that
dick. I was looking for bulges everywhere. Each pair of jeans, a potential hiding place. Thankfully, the movie’s considerably better than it’s purported twist and
the consequent dick.
With that
out of the way, The Crying Game is an
odd little film. Maybe that’s why its twist became shorthand to describe
it. But I’d argue the biggest twist at
play here is the constant genre shuffling – from a wartime buddy movie, to
romantic drama and, finally, into a political thriller. It’s a testament to writer
and director Neil Jordan’s considerable talent that he was able to make these
disparate elements come together. And what’s most interesting is that they aren’t
blended, like, say, a Tarantino movie. There are hard lines here. Once it’s a
thriller, the romance is gone. And in come the thrills. It’s an impressive
feat, and one pretty rarely attempted.
So, let’s
look at it in chunks. The Wartime Buddy Comedy. This movie doesn't have the greatest opening. Maybe it was the dick watch. Maybe it was Whitaker’s
weirdly voiced over performance. But it wasn’t clicking at all. Of course, none
of those are the scripts fault. And once the movie settles into the rhythms of
their conversations, the writing's able to shine without any formal
distractions. I started to like these guys. I started to enjoy hanging out with
them. And then Whitaker is crushed to death by a car.
Romantic
drama. This one’s a bit more problematic for me. Because I’m not entirely sure
why Fergus is so drawn to Dil. I’m guessing we’re supposed to buy into the idea
that it’s just…love. They’re made for each other. And, listen, I like Dil.
She’s got a flirty forwardness that’s fun to watch and her interactions with
Carl the bartender are a movie highlight for me. A little off topic, but I need
Carl to be my bartender. And if this movie turned into Fergus’s fierce desire
to be Carl’s regular, to be able to order “the usual, Carl”, I’d be way more on
board. But as it stands, I just don’t feel Fergus and Dil. And it’s not an
acting issue, or a filmmaking thing. Top notch, across the board. It’s inherent
in the material. Boldly romantic and brazenly sexual. And in movie-land, those can often function
as substitutes for a realistic relationship. But here, while I enjoy the
performances, the romance just doesn’t work for me.
So, I guess
now’s the time to chat about the twist. Since I don’t really buy into the
romance, it’s difficult to buy into the idea that Fergus would continue the
relationship. But the story says he does, so he does. Beyond that, here’s what
I love about this mid-movie turn – it effectively recontextualizes everything
before it. I re-played the first half of the movie in my head through so much
of the second half, that I probably need to watch the whole thing again.
Suddenly, all of that time spent hanging out with Whitaker wasn’t just an
unlikely friendship. It was a romance. When Whitaker calls Fergus “handsome”,
it wasn’t some mocking term. He meant it. The pissing scene goes from funny to
flirty. In my notes, I wrote that the scene where Fergus walks Whitaker to his
death had a sort of “childhood innocence” to it. The way Whitaker kept talking
about cricket. Kept teasing Fergus. Only, it wasn’t childhood innocence. That
was first date jitters. In a way, the turn helps sell the central romance
because maybe Fergus never truly loved Dil. It was always Whitaker. At least
that would explain the wonderful Forest Whitaker Ghost Cricket scenes.
Finally,
we’ve got our Political Thriller. Really appreciated this turn, as it dug the
movie out of its romantic phase and turned it into a taut thriller. Probably
the least interesting section, but certainly the most fun. Don’t have much to
say here. They kill a judge or something. Some pretty brutal violence. This
section also solidifies the theme of fluid identity, with everyone slipping in
and out of roles. But, like the Frog and Scorpion (people know there are other
fables, right?) tells us, you can’t deny your true nature. So this brazen, bold
movie ends in a bloody shootout, with the ever-kind Fergus taking the fall for
his lover. Then they play “Stand by Your
Man”. And it’s on the nose, but, come on, you have to play that song, right? I
mean, you don’t make a slippery movie about gender politics and not play that
song! Speaking of, does this movie hate women? It’s hard to tell. The only
woman we’re shown is pretty cruel. And, accordingly, everyone hates her. It
might be an unfair read though, because that’s simply not what the movie’s
about. And characters can be cruel, man or woman, without commenting on an
entire gender.
The Crying Game goes on to win Best
Screenplay of 1992. I think it’s the right choice. I don’t love this movie.
It’s not even my favorite of the year. But, man, it’s a killer script. And so,
so smart. A script about shifting identity that constantly shifts it’s own?
Fucking cool. A script that causes you to rethink the entire thing halfway
through? Fucking cool. And, man, that twist.
I know, I know. I keep harping. But
there’s one more thing I wanna talk about. It’s 2015. I find it extremely hard to
believe I wouldn’t have known Dil was a man, even if I didn’t know it already.
She’s a pretty man, sure, but maybe the eyes of 2015 are simply more sensitive.
Maybe they’re just more trained. Maybe Ru
Paul’s Drag Race is just too popular. So let’s say it’s 1992. And it really
catches you off guard. You were attracted to Dil. Totally pulled in by the
romance. Then, dick. That must have really been something. It could cause you
to reevaluate everything you know about your gender identity. As it turns out, you
could be attracted to a man. You could even fall in love. That must have been a
powerful moment for a lot of people. And it’s sitting right there in the middle
of this script.
The award went to a truly unique,
strange movie in 1992. And it became a huge hit, which may be the strangest
part of all. For me, there’s a tonal disconnect on this one. The grand
gestures, the big moments, they don’t really play, which keeps the movie at a
distance for me. I couldn’t get close to this one. But it’s impressive. And I’ve
got tremendous respect for it, even if I don’t love it.
So! My final list for 1992!
1.
Unforgiven.
2.
Husbands and Wives
3.
The Crying Game
4.
Lorenzo’s Oil
5.
Passion Fish
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