In two wonderfully likable and sympathetic performances, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou (AMLIE) play Okwe and Senay, two workers at the hotel. Okwe is a taxicab driver by day and a hotel clerk by night, thanks to the help of a coca-like leaf that he chews in order to stay awake. He is an illegal alien from Nigeria, and she is one from Turkey. They both come to each other's aid. She is currently involved in a cat-and-mouse struggle with some Gestapo-like immigration officials.

Although Okwe is on the lam from immigration as well, his bigger problems are with Juan (Sergi Ląpez from AN AFFAIR OF LOVE), his slimy boss at the hotel. Juan has found a lucrative way to prey on vulnerable illegal immigrants and wants to force Okwe to help his criminal activities. Even before Okwe figures out what Juan is doing, Juan describes the role of the "unseen" hotel staff. "They come in the night to do dirty things," Juan says of the hotel's guests, "and it's our job in the morning to make it pretty again." I won't tell you what the mystery is other than to say it doesn't involve sex, as you probably assume. Among several satisfying subplots is one involving Okwe's past.

The movie is well worth recommending for its thriller part alone, but, as they say on DVD covers, there's bonus material. In addition to the mystery, the story is filled with intriguing insights into the world of maids and janitors and into the difficulties faced by those in a country illegally. DIRTY PRETTY THINGS may not have you jumping much, but it will have you thinking. It's an easy film to recommend. Think of it as an anti-Bruckheimer thriller.

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS runs 1:47. It is rated R for "sexual content, disturbing images and language" and would be acceptable for most teenagers.