The Crying Game (1992)
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A member of the IRA and a captured soldier develop a bond that leads to a complex web of identity and sacrifice.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
At a rural fairground in Northern Ireland, an IRA unit kidnaps Jody, a Black British soldier. Fergus, a member of the unit, is assigned to guard him. The two men bond, and Jody asks Fergus to look after his lover, Dil, if he dies. When the captors' deadline passes, Fergus is ordered to kill Jody. During a chase, Jody is struck and killed by a vehicle. Fergus flees to London, adopts the alias 'Jimmy,' and eventually finds Dil. The two develop a romantic relationship. Later, the IRA member Jude coerces Fergus into an assassination plot. The night before, Fergus confesses his role in Jody's death to Dil. The next morning, Dil prevents Fergus from participating in the assassination. When Jude enters the flat to kill Fergus, Dil shoots and kills her. Dil then becomes suicidal, but Fergus prevents her from taking her own life and allows her to escape, taking the blame for the shooting. Months later, in prison, Dil visits Fergus and they discuss the story of the Scorpion and the Frog.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; Japan
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Neil Jordan
- Writers
- Neil Jordan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Stephen Rea · Fergus; Miranda Richardson; Jaye Davidson · Dil; Forest Whitaker · Jody
- Genres
- crime thriller; drama
- Themes
- race; sexuality; identity
- Tone and mood
- haunting; mystery
- Premise and plot tags
- political thriller; romance; transgender
- Source material / true-story basis
- A 1931 short story by Frank O'Connor, 'Guests of the Nation', and a previous draft titled 'The Soldier's Wife'.
- Content notes
- nudity
- Reception
- A critical and commercial success, the film was praised for its haunting mystery and notable plot twist.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 73
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award · Outstanding British Film · win; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination; Academy Award · Best Director · nomination; Academy Award · Best Actor · nomination; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · nomination; Academy Award · Best Film Editing · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled 'The Soldier's Wife'.; The film was a sleeper hit in the U.S. due to a campaign asking audiences not to reveal the plot twist.; The film was named the 26th-greatest British film of all time by the British Film Institute in 1999.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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