Neil Jordan
The Crying Game

The review contains spoilers

The three-act structure is a classic of cinematic storytelling, and Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game follows it with almost textbook precision. The First Act is the Set-Up with the introduction of the characters and the inciting incidents of the story. The Second Act, the central part of the film, is the dramatic development, and the Third Act is the final resolution. It's a shame that in this case the results do not live up to the ambitions.

The First Act introduces us to Jody, a British soldier with an American accent (Whitaker), seduced by an unconvincing terrorist, Jude (Miranda Richardson), and kidnapped by IRA militants who seem more like boy scouts than ruthless fighters. Fergus (Stephen Rea), the most apathetic of the group, forms an unlikely bond with Jody, who before dying asks him to find his girlfriend in London.

Started as a drama, the First Act quickly derails due to the frivolous tone of the exchanges between Jody and Fergus.

In the Second Act, Fergus searches for Dil (Jaye Davidson), Jody's mysterious partner. He finds her in a rainbow bar, where she sings with diva airs, flaunts miniskirts, and a certain air of superiority. Despite the square jaw and large hands, Fergus needs tangible proof to discover that Dil is transgender, and here the film delivers its “twist,” today more embarrassing than shocking. The IRA fades into the background and the film has changed tone, as if seeking easy applause for its "transgressiveness."

The Third Act tries to return to a political thriller with the return of Jude, but by then it is too late: Fergus is sleepwalking, Dil an egocentric diva, Jude nearly ridiculous despite her femme fatale disguise, and the tension has collapsed. The ending claims redemption and depth but feels forced and manipulative.

The plot should be - in theory - modern and touching, but if the viewer feels irritation towards the operetta-like IRA and Dil's egotism and arrogance, then it means that - as usual - they haven't understood anything and lack empathy, because critical sense - for some - is a sign of lack of sentimentalism.

The Crying Game plays at surprising the viewer and making them feel guilty if they don’t applaud. But the truth is that its “modernity” is self-satisfied, the writing disconnected, and the performances mediocre. A film that promises to shake you and ends up irritating you.

The Italian title, La Moglie del Soldato, may highlight a certain panic regarding the market release of a product where there are no wives and where the second act was not supposed to be predictable in any way, because all the film's value lay in the attempt to throw the spectator off balance.

(On a side note: Stephen Rea, who plays Fergus, in reality, did indeed marry an IRA terrorist. Reality perhaps more interesting than fiction.)