The Crying Game (Collector's Edition)
March 2005 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

The Crying Game was the sleeper hit of 1992, garnering a surprising number of Oscar nominations, winning the statuette for Best Original Screenplay. Rejected at Cannes and scorned in the UK, it became a success with American audiences, who were titillated by the "don’t reveal the twist" publicity. I imagine everyone around knows what that surprise is by now, but just in case there are some younger readers who don’t, I won’t reveal it here.

Stephen Rea stars as Fergus, a reluctant IRA member who participates in the kidnapping of a British soldier, yet cannot kill him when the time comes. The military captive, Jody, identifies Fergus as a kind man and convinces him that he cannot act against his nature. He also tells his Irish captor about his girlfriend, Dil. After Jody dies, Fergus flees to London where he looks up Dil, finding that she is as different as Jody described her. Dil and Fergus, now called Jimmy, engage in one of the most unusual romances ever set forth on screen. Slightly past midpoint, the movie becomes a romantic thriller when Jimmy’s old comrades appear, wanting him to participate in a political assassination.

The characters in this film are likable and believable, and in the end, the script is about the human condition: how we love and how we react to different situations that cause change. Fergus/Jimmy is haunted by guilt and finds redemption by accepting events alien to his personality yet maintaining his true nature as a kind man. Stephen Rea is letter perfect in the role. As Dil, Jaye Davidson scores one amazing triumph after another in scene after scene, and was nominated for an Academy Award. Miranda Richardson is appropriately nasty as a villainess who equates sex with power, and Forest Whitaker is likable as the British soldier. Neil Jordan’s direction is sure. He doesn’t miss a beat; his movie flows like the finest musical composition.

The initial DVD release of this movie was a disaster in both the video and audio departments. This new one makes up for that earlier effort. It is warm and clean, if just short of excellent. That amazing long pan shot that opens the movie, where a small carnival is seen at a distance from underneath a bridge, is impressive and clear, devoid of the artifacts that plagued the earlier DVD. The contrast is good, too. One can easily experience the big surprise this time around. It was a bit murky before. The sound is smooth, with excellent placement of sound effects and easy to understand dialogue. The latter is difficult to understand a few times, but that is because of the thick accents, not the sound recording. The music, which plays a big part in the movie, has good dynamic and frequency range.

The extras seem a bit skimpy for a special edition. The most important one is the alternate ending, easily seen in retrospect as a bad idea. The production documentary, consisting mostly of talking head interviews, is informative but dry. There is some interesting discussion, however, about the IRA, heard from both sides of the issue, and an excellent commentary track featuring director Jordan. If you have not seen this movie, it is a must; if you have seen it, you will rejoice that you can see it even better than you did before.

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