The Crying Game

by Neil Jordan

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Neil Jordan is an Irish novelist and film director.

Reviews

[liz ⁀➷ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick and at times entertaining read. I found it hard to follow what was going on and didn’t feel it had any real plot. However, it would be useful to understand the context of the film and watch it alongside this script to better understand it I’m sure.

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since this is the screenplay to my most favourite movie of all times I just had to read it and I was sure I'd like it just as much as the movie itself. I was right in that, although there are many parts where I think the version the actors showed in the end was more fitting. Of course my view on that is totally biased.
Does it add something new? Not totally. I got a better view on some of the character's actions: How Fergus knew where to find Dil, who that guy was(or may be) that helped Fergus cross the water, what they said in the movie when they mumbled too much for a non-native English speaker like me to understand.
And, moreover, the introduction by holyfuckingshitmasteroftheuniverse Neil Jordan(Yes, that's what I call him). Using Kafka to illustrate why he sees it as important to write a script as raw as possible? I didn't particularly want to become a fangirl, but what can I say? I was defenseless.

I'd strongly suggest to not read this if you don't know the movie yet, it might take something away from the experience. If you've already seen the movie and aren't as crazy about it as I am, then it's not really necessary to read this. It adds a little bit to the story, imo, but I feel like it would be more appealing if you're really, really interested in the story.

[Emily-Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arguably one of the best British-Irish scripts ever written, and both film and script were an education for me as a young writer, but it ages quite badly in light of progress in trans rights and representation.