'Dirty' Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Glenne Headly

Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) is a sophisticated conman happily fleecing tourists in the luxurious hotels on the French Riviera, when he hears of another con artist who goes by the name of 'The Jackal'. When petty crook Freddy Benson (Martin) appears, Lawrence believes he has identified 'The Jackal'. Reluctantly the pair decide to team up, but eventually realise there is not enough room for both of them. Making a bet where the first one to con $50,000 out of one victim wins and the other leaves the area, they settle on wealthy American Janet Colgate (Headly). Many entertaining adventures later it transpires that she is really 'The Jackal'. This very funny film ends with her returning to Lawrence's home under a new identity, where the three agree to embark on more scams together.

Glenne Headly has many stage, screen and television appearances to her credit, but it was her role as Janet Colgate, aka 'The Jackal', in 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' which brought her to greater prominence. She has also starred opposite Warren Beatty in the film 'Dick Tracy' as his girlfriend (and later his wife) Tess Trueheart, and in the 1991 thriller 'Mortal Thoughts' opposite Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.

'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' was directed by Frank Oz and released in 1988. It also stars Anton Rodgers as the chief of police who turns a blind eye to the cons while accepting a share of the proceeds.

Answer: London

Okwe (Ejiofor) and Senay (Tautou) play a pair of illegal immigrants in London who share a flat and become friends. Formerly a doctor in his homeland of Nigeria, Okwe's surgical skills are called upon by his boss, hotel manager Juan, who is involved in the illegal business of trading the kidneys of healthy illegal immigrants in return for forged passports. After several adventures, Juan's plan backfires on him spectacularly, and Okwe and Senay obtain passports, Okwe returning to Nigeria and Senay leaving to make a fresh start in New York.

At the British Independent Film Awards in 2003, Chiwetel Ejiofor won the Award for Best Actor for his performance in 'Dirty Pretty Things'. The film also won the Award for Best British Independent Film, the Best Director Award for Stephen Frears and the Best Screenplay Award for Steven Knight.

Answer: Dirty Work

'Dirty Work' seems a popular film title! Apart from this 1933 Laurel and Hardy comedy, which follows the intrepid pair on their day's work at the home of eccentric scientist Professor Noodle, who has developed a rejuvenation serum, there are at least two other films with the same title. One of these is a 1934 British film starring Ralph Lynn, a comedy about a private detective protecting valuable jewellery at a swish jeweller's shop.

Another film of the same name is the 1998 American comedy starring Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange and their very funny adventures setting up a 'revenge-for-hire' business.

Answer: Dirty Dancing

Shot on a comparatively low budget, 'Dirty Dancing' became a huge cinema hit. When 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman (Grey) falls for dance instructor Johnny Castle (Swayze) while on holiday with her wealthy family, the romance goes against her family's wishes. Filling in as Johnny's dance partner because his regular partner is ill following an illegal abortion, the pair fall in love as he teaches her the dance steps. The glorious finale is a real show-stopper.

As well as winning the Golden Globe and Grammy Awards in 1988, the theme song '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' won the 1987 Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.

Answer: Faces

This classic black-and-white American film follows the story of two boys who grew up together in New York sharing a criminal past. In adult life they meet up again; one, Rocky (Cagney) is a disreputable gangster and the other, (O'Brien) is a reformed character and now a priest, whose mission in life is to keep children off the streets and away from crime. Humphrey Bogart co-stars as Frazier, a lawyer whose activities are far from legal. At the 1939 Academy Awards, James Cagney was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in 'Angels With Dirty Faces', and won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.

'Angels With Dirty Faces' is memorably parodied in the films 'Home Alone' and 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'.

Answer: World War II

Filmed in England, World War II film 'The Dirty Dozen' features an all-star cast including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson and Telly Savalas. Twelve soldiers, who have all been convicted of crimes and are either serving long prison terms or awaiting the death penalty, are recruited by Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) acting on classified orders. The film follows their recruitment and training for their mission to infiltrate a chateau at Rennes on the evening prior to the proposed D-Day Landings in Normandy and culminates in the attack itself.

'The Dirty Dozen' was the top-grossing film in the year of its release in 1967. It was directed by Robert Aldrich and received four Academy Awards nominations, where it won the Award for Best Sound Effects.

Answer: Leprechaun

Starring Milo Ventimiglia as Zach and Lacey Chabert as Meg, 'Dirty Deeds' is a teen comedy in the 'American Pie' style (minus band camp). Students accepting the challenge have from dusk until dawn to complete 10 challenges (the 'dirty deeds'), of varying degrees of difficulty. Part comedy, part teen romance as Zach and Meg discover their feelings for one another, the 'deeds' are wide-ranging, from drinking a beer in front of vigilant local police aware of what the night is about, to smuggling the inflatable leprechaun into the school without anyone seeing. The film was released in 2005 and directed by David Kendall. It was rated PG-13 in America because of its language, humour and sexual content.

For the record, there is also an Australian gangster film called 'Dirty Deeds' starring Bryan Brown and Toni Colette, which was released in 2002. Apart from the name the two films have nothing in common!

Answer: North Africa

The all-action World War II film 'Play Dirty' stars Michael Caine in the role of Captain Douglas, a fuel pipeline specialist for BP with no military experience, who has been seconded to the Army. His quest is to take charge of a mission to sabotage German fuel lines in North Africa.

This strongly anti-war film was released in 1969 and directed by André de Toth. It also features a superb performance from Nigel Davenport as Caine's mercenary assistant, Captain Leech.

Answer: Car chase

Having robbed a supermarket in an attempt to finance their way to the launch of a successful NASCAR career, Peter Fonda and Adam Roarke, as driver Larry and mechanic Deke, are joined by Mary (Susan George) in attempting their getaway from the law. The resulting high-speed car chase is played out amid the backdrop of walnut groves around Linden, California, and other Californian locations. The film, which was directed by John Hough, ends with the trio, believing they are about to make a successful escape from their pursuers across the border, colliding with a freight train and being killed instantly.

The part of the Sheriff, Captain Franklin, was played by Vic Morrow, just eight years before his tragic death from an accident while filming 'Twilight Zone: The Movie' in 1982.

Answer: Callahan

Well, did you feel lucky? Clint Eastwood's character SFPD Inspector Harry Callahan is the star of all five films in the series, of which 'Dirty Harry', released in 1971, was the first. The others were 'Magnum Force', 'The Enforcer', 'Sudden Impact' and 'The Dead Pool'.

Directed and produced by Don Siegel and shot mainly in San Francisco, 'Dirty Harry' focuses on the chase, capture and ultimate death of psychopathic serial killer 'Scorpio', played by Andy Robinson. The immortal catchphrase 'Go ahead, make my day' was actually uttered in 'Sudden Impact', which was directed by Eastwood and released in 1983, not in the original 'Dirty Harry' film as is sometimes thought.