Product Details

• Actors: Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Forest Whitaker, Miranda Richardson, Adrian Dunbar
• Directors: Neil Jordan
• Writers: Neil Jordan
• Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Nik Powell, Paul Cowan, Stephen Woolley
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate
• VHS Release Date: May 2, 1995
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302779421
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,768 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

The Crying Game offers a rare and precious movie experience. The film is an unclassifiable original that surprises, intrigues, confounds, and delights you with its freshness, humor, and honesty from beginning to end. It starts as a psychological thriller, as IRA foot soldier Fergus (the incomparable Stephen Rea) kidnaps a British soldier (Forest Whitaker) and waits for the news that will determine whether he executes his victim or sets him free. As the night wears on, a peculiar bond begins to form between the two men. Later, the movie shifts tone and morphs into something of a romantic comedy as Fergus unexpectedly becomes involved with the soldier's girlfriend Dil (Jaye Davidson) and discovers more about himself, and human nature in general, than he ever dreamed possible. Like Spielberg's E.T., The Crying Game was supposed to be director Neil Jordan's "little, personal movie," the one he just had to make, even though no studio was willing to give him money because the story was so unusual. Instead, it became a surprise popular sensation, thanks in part to Miramax's cleverly provocative campaign playing up the hush-hush nature of the movie's big secret. The performances (including Miranda Richardson as one of Fergus's IRA colleagues) are subtly shaded, and the writing and direction are tantalizingly rich and suggestive; you're always trying to figure out the characters' true motives and feelings--even when they themselves are fully aware of their own motives and feelings. The Crying Game is a wise, witty, wondrous treasure of a movie. Director Jordan's credits include Mona Lisa, Interview with the Vampire, Michael Collins, and The Butcher Boy. --Jim Emerson

From The New Yorker

This amazing new movie by the Irish writer and director Neil Jordan ("Mona Lisa," "The Miracle") has the sure grip and the unstoppable momentum of a dream. Jordan tells the story of Fergus (Stephen Rea), a troubled I.R.A. gunman who undergoes a thorough emotional metamorphosis, and he makes the hero's change of heart moving and persuasive; the film inspires an irrational sort of trust, a willing suspension of something deeper and more fundamental than disbelief. The script is full of reversals and abrupt dislocations and, halfway through, the movie springs a huge, jaw-dropping surprise. Disorienting us isn't the ultimate aim of Jordan's artistic strategy, though; he jars us out of our accustomed responses to prepare us for the purer, more penetrating ones he really wants from us. The picture is a contemporary romantic thriller whose values are, in the best sense, medieval. Every startling twist in the plot functions as a trial for the hero; and in the end Fergus, having come through the fires of battle and through enchantments that alter the appearance of the familiar world, achieves a knightly grace. But you're not likely to think of the film's mythic overtones while you're watching it. The story is so unusual and so involving, and Jordan's direction is so envelopingly sensuous, that you allow the movie simply to carry you along. It's a splendid entertainment-an elating, charmed sprint through all sorts of contemporary terrors. Also with Forest Whitaker, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Adrian Dunbar, and a newcomer named Jaye Davidson, who is astonishing. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Human Drama Diguised as A Political Thriller, March 22, 2000

By 

Mr. Cairene (Cairo, Egypt) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crying Game [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"When I was a child I thought as a child, when I became a man I gave up childish things." The words of the captive(Stephen Rea) to his prisoner(Forrest Wittikar) the night before he has to shoot him. He has (unwisely) formed a human bond with his prisoner, and its easy to see way, because Jodi as played by Whittikar is a lovable, open hearted and kind man. Even though he is only in the movie for 20 about minutes, Whittikars performance haunts the rest of the film, we come to understand more of his character once we meet the love of his life he left behind, Dill(Jaye Davidson). Caught between the two is Stephen Rea's Fergues, who with those soulful heart broken eyes of his, discovers the gift and troubles Jodi has left him by telling him about his girlfriend. When Dill sings the crying game in the pub, we can feel real pain in "I know all there is to know about the crying game" because she like Fergues (who's lost his faith in the cause he's fighting for)and Jodi are very lonely people. This is a truly beautiful and original film, its tone is rather sad because Fergues's past will defintely come back to claim him and we know this, but it deserves to be owned not just watched because like the best of movies its impact is not lessened on repeated viewings. Jodi's character gains that much more poignance once we know about Dill, therefore when you watch the movie again, the opening scenes are that much more powerful. Finally I have to mention the great muusical score and an unforgettable story told by Jodi and then by Fergues about the frog and the scorpion that bookends the film. The Crying Game is a great film.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Jordan's best films along with "Mona Lisa", February 5, 2005

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Crying Game (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Still an amazing film over a decade later, The Crying Game continues to resonate with power due to its themes of obsession and redemption. Jordan's film plays tricks with its twisting plot structure and change in tone similar to its inspiration Vertigo. Stephen Rea plays Fergus a gunman for the IRA who helps take a soldier named Jody (Forest Whittaker) hostage. They plan on trading him for a senior member of the IRA being taken by the British. Fergus later becomes obsessed with Jody's girlfriend Dil (Jay Davidson) a hairdresser by day who performs in a bar in the evenings lip synching her favorite songs. Fergus begins to fall in love with Dil. Is it guilt that drives him into her arms? He's not sure. Suddenly, Fergus and Jude are thrust into the middle of the conflict between the IRA and the British. Fergus gets sucked into Jody's life and becomes obssessed with helping Dil and seeing more about the life of the man he kidnapped.

The plot is far more complex than the synopsis I've given. If you haven't seen the film (or heard about it), do yourself a favor to read as little about the plot as possible. While the surprises in the plot don't define the film's quality, they do involve the viewer in the story. So keep it simple and just rent the movie (or buy it if you've seen it before). With strong performances from Rea as the world weary Fergus, Richardson as the aggressive and hateful Jude, Whitaker as Jody and Davidson as Dil, The Crying Game demonstrates Jordan's uncanny skills as a storyteller and film director. The fact that it wasn't recognized with only an Oscar for writing is a crime considering what was released the same year.

With a crisp, clear image The Crying Game looks particularly good in this DVD transfer. The bright colors and grainy textures of the original film are well reproduced. Although the darker sequences of the film occasionally look a bit murky, the transfer looks exceptionally good overall. The 5.1 surround sound mix and 2.0 mix both have great presence.

We get the originally shot ending of the film which differs substantially from the final version. The BBC's Channel 4 originally agreed to back the film but only if Jordan would write and shoot a different ending from the final version (the one that's seen in the film is the original version as written). This version is included from a VHS rough assembly of the film so doesn't have the best picture quality but does provide an idea of what the film might have looked like. Northern Troubles is a documentary looking at Ireland from two different view points; an Irish Catholic and Protestant Loyalist who drove the filmmakers around to interview people about the making of the film. Interestingly, it provides considerable insight into the current and past political troubles of this beautiful country. Images of violence and conflict appear everywhere throughout the landscape. The Making of The Crying Game bundles together a number of featurettes to produce a documentary that provides a comprehensive look at the film's production. Featuring Stephen Rea, Neil Jordan and many of the principle production members, it can be viewed in one sitting or watched as individual featurettes. Stephen Wooley the producer of the film discusses the nasty reception that the film received at Cannes by American distributors.

There's also a discussion of Miramax's part in effectively marketing a very difficult film to an audience used to popcorn thrillers. Wooley discusses the press reception and how Miramax used this for a brilliant marketing campaign that captured the attention of audiences but also focusing encouraging viewers to not discuss the "secret" of the film. We also get the original trailer and a featurette on Madame Jojo's today.

Neil Jordan provides a comprehensive commentary track focusing on the visual images that inspired the story including the places from his childhood that showed up in the film. Jordan also discusses the twists in the plot so, by all means, watch the film prior to listening to it with the commentary track.

Lion's Gate has done a great job of updating and upgrading this terrific film for DVD. The previous version looked very good as well but the image quality in this anamorphic transfer gives it the edge. The inclusion of a commentary track, documentary and featurettes gives viewers an idea of the world that The Crying Game occurs in. The crisp, sharp image quality and overall transfer looks exceptionally good as well making this essential for fans of the movie.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inadequate presentation, August 5, 2000

By 

Henk van Rensburg (Centurion, Gauteng South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crying Game (DVD)

International customers, please note: this is the version for Puritans, with Jaye Davidson's naughty bits blacked out. As a result, one pivotal scene loses 90% of its punch. Also, on the technical side, there are compression and NTSC artefacts galore, especially in the opening shot. (The film itself rates 5 stars.)