How others will see it. The Crying Game was a hot topic of conversation for its plot 'surprise', which was soon the worst-kept secret in cinema. As is often the case, the movie is more interesting when you know the truth about Dil. She's not a girl. Physically, at least.
This becomes obvious even before 'her' organ makes a rare screen appearance. (Look for the two attractive young women refused entrance to the club.) Women's breasts and buns frequently appear in R movies. But certain body parts never show up, and I have to say it's better off that way.
The odd thing is, once Fergus knows the truth, he's unable to break off the relationship. This eventually brings us to the film's real surprise: Dil is after revenge, and bad girl Miranda gets hers.
Lost in the gasps about convincing transvestites is the depiction of the IRA. Not too favorable, either. Here, they're ruthless killers who take the Old Testament "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" at face value.
Also of interest is Miranda Richardson's character. She does not have a heart of gold. She's a hateful monster, whose only loyalty is to her IRA superiors. Such a female character, without remorse or the possibility of redemption, has existed before in cinema history. For example, Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity. But its nonetheless unusual.
How I felt about it. Our main character, Fergus, is the connection between two unrelated worlds: that of an IRA insurgent, and that of a transvestite. Fergus is drawn from the former into the latter, because emotionally, he doesn't belong to the IRA. He feels guilty, whether he admits it or not.
He's not a homosexual. In fact, he's probably asexual. But his heart isn't with the IRA, despite an innate violent streak, which emerges when provoked. He wants peace, not just for himself, but for the world around him. At the end of the film, he's in prison, and he probably would like to stay there, where he won't be compelled to kill anybody.
Would Fergus have shot the soldier if he hadn't run into a tank? Possibly not, considering the look of anguish on Fergus' face when he realized what happened. Curious how the troops emerging from the tank ignore the body there in front of them. Twice in the film, Fergus is ordered to kill, but is unable to do so. It's not in his nature.