Released in 1992, The Crying Game was a huge success, winning a ton of awards. One of the awards that the movie would win was the best screenplay at the Oscars! Written and directed by Neil Jordan, The Crying Game is classed as a masterpiece by many people, and if you check out IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, it is mostly very positive reviews.
Where to Watch The Crying Game
The Crying Game was released on 30 October 1992 in the UK. You can stream the film from a digital platform such as Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
The Movie Review
I never saw this when it came out, and while I had heard of it over the years, it was never a movie, I felt the need to watch, even with the positive stuff that I had heard. However, this year, I have been watching 90s movies I missed out on, and I decided to finally see if The Crying Game was this thriller masterpiece that many people seem to say that it is.
Forrest Whitaker and Stephen Rea Deliver an Intense Dynamic
The story starts with a British soldier called Jody being set up and captured by the IRA. While in IRA custody, Jody strikes up a relationship with one of his captors, a man called Fergus. Jody is played by Forrest Whitaker, and Fergus is played by Stephen Rea, and to say that this is a slow burn is a massive exaggeration.
Well, the idea is that the IRA wants to swap Jody for one of their soldiers who is being held prisoner, but if they do not get what they want, Jody will be executed. I have to say, I felt that the way Jody went out was kind of lame. It builds up to Fergus having to be the one to pull the trigger, and I think the movie would have been far better for it if he had.
The Big Twist and Emotional Fallout
Now, before this all goes down, Jody asks Fergus that if he is killed, if Fergus will go to London and make sure that his girlfriend, Dil is ok. Thinking that all of his comrades have been killed, Fergus thinks that he is out of this life and decides to go to London to check on Dil.
Well, Fergus and Dil hit it off and they eventually fall in love, it is here we get the huge twist of the movie, which I bet in 1992 and for people who did not know was a massive shock. While I had never seen The Crying Game, I did know what the twist was, so this was lost on me, and I really wish it wasn’t, as it would have been a pretty shocking moment.
IRA Tensions and the Final Act
Fergus does not get to just leave the IRA and live a new life in London with Dil! Turns out that not all of the IRA members of Fergus’s unit were killed, one of whom, Jude, played by Miranda Richardson, has come to ask Fergus to pull off a hit for her. Well, things go sideways pretty fast as the feelings between Fergus and Dil get more and more serious, and of course, Jude is going to try and use Dil as leverage to make Fergus do what she wants.
Final Thoughts on The Crying Game
Look, I can see why this may have been a big deal back in 1992, but honestly, The Crying Game did not live up to the hype for me. I am not sure what I was expecting, and as I said, I did know the big twist that the movie is famous for. However, I found this to be a kind of boring thriller movie, and the final act was kind of all over the place. Hey, if you love this movie, more power to you, and I can see why some would. I certainly did not hate it, but I have seen far better thrillers than this.
