Major Analysis of "The Crying Game"

The Crying Game starts out with a unit of IRA soldiers kidnapping a British soldier, Jody. The IRA soldiers demand that the British release the other IRA members or they were going to execute Jody if their demands weren’t met within three days. A foot soldier, Fergus guards Jody during those three days and they quickly develop a bond. They share many stories and Jody tells him a particular story about a scorpion and a frog. The scorpion wanted to cross the stream and asked a frog to carry him to the other side. The frog then asked the frog “how do I know you wont sting me” and the scorpion tells him that if he does sting the frog it would mean both of them would drown. The frog agrees to take him across the stream and before they even reached the other side the scorpion stung the frog. The frog asked why he stung him, now they’re both going to drown. The scorpion replied “I can’t help it, it’s in my nature.” Jody also persuades Fergus to meet his girlfriend, Dil, after his execution. When time comes for Jody to be executed, Fergus takes him out in the woods but can’t follow through with the plan. Jody attempts to flee across the road and is accidentally run over by British armored personnel and dies instantly. Fergus feels terrible for Jody’s death and hides from his IRA companions and takes a job as a day laborer with the alias, Jimmy. While he is in London, Fergus meets, Dil, Jody’s very attractive girlfriend at a bar where she is singing “The Crying Game”. He pushes his guilt aside and continues to pursue Dil, and protects her from an obsessive suitor. Fergus gradually falls in love with Dil, but when he later is about to make love to her he discovers that she is a transwoman and has a penis. He rushes to the bathroom to throw up and accidently hits Dil in the face, leaving her on the floor with a bruise on her face.
Jude comes in Fergus’ apartment and tells him that they have to go follow an assassination and tells Fergus to forget about the girl and that she knows all about Fergus and Dil. Fergus can’t forget about Dil so he cuts her hair and gives her a male disguise. The night before the assassination Dil gets drunk and Fergus has to walk her home. Dil tells Fergus to stay and while he is there he admits to her that he had a hand in Jodys death. The next morning when Fergus wakes up he is tied up and at gunpoint by Dil. Dil then forces Fergus to tell her that he loves her and will never leave her to the tune of “The Crying Game”. Dil unties Fergus and Jude comes in the room looking to kill Fergus for missing the assassination. Dil kills Jude and Fergus takes the fall for it.
This film explored race, gender inequality, nationalism and sexuality. It was a very interesting movie to watch and sympathize with the characters of subcultures that are presented as very complex. It had a lot of thrill but also almost a forbidden romance. The main character deals with being attracted to a woman with a penis, but eventually overcomes it and sees the greater good in her.


"Summer Movie Guide." Movie Database. amazon, n.d. Web. 28 Apr 2010.

Summary of Major Works

Mona Lisa (1986)

This movies is about a man named George who struggles finding a job because his time in prison has reduced his stature in the criminal world. The only job he could find was being a driver for Simone, a beautiful high-priced call girl. At first he doesn’t get along with her but later develops real affection for her. Simone is playing a dangerous game and when George agrees to help her, they both end up in trouble with the local kingpin. Mona Lisa was nominated for Oscar, had 13 wins and 11 nominations.

The Crying Game (1992)

This movie is about a British soldier who is kidnapped by IRA terrorists. During the 3 day stay where he was captured he befriends one of his captors. The captor is then drawn into this soldier’s world. The Crying Game won Osca, had 18 wins and 17 nominations.

Michael Collins (1996)

After the defeat of Irish rebels by superior British forces during the Easter Week rebellion of 1916, Michael Collins develops new strategies for the independence of Ireland. His are now recognized as urban guerrilla tactics and organized assassinations of G-Men. By 1921 the British are willing to negotiate and Sinn Fein President Eamon de Valera sends a reluctant Collins to London to negotiate a settlement. When Collins returns with a compromise of a divided Ireland and an Irish Free State, not a Republic, he is vilified by de Valera. He is then repudiated by his good friend Harry Boland after Boland learns that his girlfriend Kitty is in love with Collins. Collins is now faced with civil war as he struggles against those who insist on complete freedom for all of Ireland. Michael Collins was nominated for 2 Oscars, had 4 wins and 8 nominations.

Butcher Boy (1997)

The pressures on Francie to grow up are immense. He has a violent alcoholic father, his mother is depressive and commits suicide, and his best friend, Joe goes off to a boarding school. After his father dies Francie sinks into paranoia directed towards his nasty neighbor, whom he blames for most of his bad fortunes, Mrs.Nugent. He ends up killing Mrs.Nugent and the authorities arrest and commit him to an asylum in an attempt to cure him. Butcher Boy has 7 wins and 8 nominations.

Ondina (2009)

Odina is a story of an Irish fisherman who discovers a woman in his fishing net. He believes that this woman, Odina, is a mermaid. Odina was nominated for 2 Oscarcs, had 4 wons and 8 other nominations.

"IMBd." Internet Movie Database. amazon, n.d. Web. 15 Apr 2010. .

Major Themes, Influences, and Artistic Style

Neil Jordan treats every one of his movies as a brand new project. There is no such thing as a typical Neil Jordan movie. Although there may not be a single type of Neil Jordan film, there is a Neil Jordan style and approach. Many of Jordan’s films have a gothic sensibility. There are the obvious symbols like vampires, ghosts, and haunted castles, but he also expresses his fascination with death and decay, no real boundaries between reality and fantasy, and out-of-bounds sexuality.
Another one of his themes is fragmentation of identity. Characters in Jordan’s films express this fragmentation by treating their identity as something that can be revised under different circumstances. His films are a lot like the modern world where familiar frameworks such as organized religion, nationalism, and gender roles are often perceived as untrustworthy and irrelevant.
Jordan approaches all of his movies with a similar artistic style. He takes the familiar and turns into something questionable. His films make us, the viewers; question our understanding of the world. All of his films revolve around this idea that reality is complex and not absolute.
Symbolism is also very important to Jordan. Mona Lisa has many images relating to childhood and innocence: the white rabbit, the dwarves, and the old woman’s shoe. In The Company of Wolves there are many symbolic images of procreation and sexuality.
He was influenced a lot by Ireland and what was going on at the time. "The world we grew up in wasn't bad -- it was fascinating -- it was just blighted by these [...] medieval eruptions of insanity. Ireland was a bit like that then. It wasn't quite politics, it wasn't religion. You didn't know what it was. But what it definitely was, was the intrusion of severe violence into the lives of innocent people." -- Neil Jordan.


Mapes, Marty. "Interview with Neil Jordan." Turner Classic Movies (2010): n. pag. Web. 9 Apr 2010.

Sragow, Michael. "Beautiful Dreamer." (1999): n. pag. Web. 24 Mar 2010.