Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a Nigerian doctor who has illegally immigrated to London under circumstances that would theoretically qualify for political asylum in the US. During the day he drives a taxi and at night he works at the front desk of the upscale Baltic Hotel. Senay (Audrey Tautou of “Amelie”), a Muslim who recently emigrated from Turkey is 22 years old and still a virgin. She works the day shift as a chambermaid at the Baltic. Okwe sleeps on the sofa at Senay's apartment when she's on the clock. He usually fixes dinner before he goes to work at the hotel; other than the meal the two of them have little to say to one another. Senay wants to go live with a friend in New York City but Okwe has some problems that a foreign destination will not so easily solve.

Okwe reminds one of a young Nelson Mandela and is a man with high moral principles. He is in political trouble because he took a moral stand in Nigeria but when he learns of a passport racket based out the hotel, he considers becoming a thief who also performs illegal medical operations. The supervisor at the hotel is (appropriately) named Sneaky (Sergi Lopez of “Jet Lag” and “With a Friend Like Harry”) who makes his good fortunes (literally) with cheap labor at the hotel; employing illegal immigrants who need either jobs, passports or both.

Okwe begins his slippery slide to moral decline with stealing drugs at a hospital while pretending to be a janitor. His intentions are good; the drugs are for men at his cab company who have contracted VD. Okwe is able to pull off his drug thefts because the immigrants, who clean the floors, are chambermaids in hotels, drive cabs, and perform other minimum, or below minimum wage tasks, are figuratively invisible.

Senay is not allowed to work for six months or sublet her apartment, according to immigration rules. This sounds like the proverbial catch 22; she needs the money so she works at the hotel and collects rent from Okwe. Neighbors report that a man is coming and going on a regular basis, easy to note because of the difference in his skin color.

The Immigration Enforcement Department (IED) catches up with Senay and forces her to quit her job at the hotel, only to find work in a sweat shop run by an Asian merchant. After being on the job only two days, the IED has tracked her to the sewing factory and the owner (Kriss Dosanjh) seizes this opportunity to convince Senay to participate in “Clintonesque” sex. She knows what he tastes like but she is still technically a virgin.

In the best caper films, non-heroic people win the day and you are happy for them. Okwe's best friend, maybe his only real friend, is a young Chinese mortician resident (Benedict Wong) who provides friendly, sage advice and a place to sleep when Okwe has to leave Senay's apartment. The horny doorman at the Baltic and Okwe allow Juliette (Sophie Okonedo, probably the best portrayal of a prostitute since Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman”) to come and go each night to take care of her business. This “underclass” of characters is made up of good people, who find a way to fight Sneaky and his friends.

The best thrillers take you by surprise with the development of events and if that were less predictable here the film would have an erotically hard edge. That emotionally charged edge exists in the soon to be released “The Magdalene Sisters” that opens on August 15, and will be on both our short lists as best film of the year.

Compensation here is that the film is entertaining, the relationship between a black man and a white woman is fresh, and those of us that might feel less than privileged in the United States get a wake-up call as to how good we have it, when all things are considered. When Haitians risk their lives on long ocean journeys to come to the US, in boats that most of us wouldn't want to use to cross a lake, it should tell us something. Chinese and Latino immigrants allow themselves to be locked in trailers, trusting untrustworthy people, for the chance to come to America, which as recent news events have shown can result in their deaths. This is a country that has no borders to keep one from leaving. The problem is getting in rather than out. Since 9/11, staying is even harder.

“Dirty Pretty Things” is a romantic, political thriller that generates some wicked laughs toward the end of the story. In some ways the story is sophisticated and in others it's predictably melodramatic. The blend of the politics of immigration and the manipulation of young women for sexual favors focuses on those who prey on others who are desperately looking for a passport to get them through customs. The startling reality is that these people, the victims and the predators will do literally anything, and the drama of the film takes the air of a “mockumentary.”

Foreshadowing is fun, when you know something other than the agreed to plan is going to occur and you figure it out shortly before all the characters. Here, bad things happen to good people, yet by the time the movie is over, some of the bad guys have gotten their due and Okwe and Senay are hopefully headed for a better future. “Dirty Pretty Things” gets down and nasty without dragging you in the mud.