First with "Match Point" and now with "Cassandra's Dream," Woody Allen has carved a new niche for himself as director of juicy little British thrillers, like something right out of Patricia Highsmith. "Cassandra's Dream" is not as good as "Match Point," but that's not to say it isn't a good movie. It's quite well done; the story bears remarkable resemblance to another film that came out last year, Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," but it doesn't feel like a rip-off. Just as in "Match Point," which was an updated version of "An American Tragedy," Allen takes familiar material but makes it feel original.
Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell play brothers, one sharp and ambitious, the other dumber and nicer, who find themselves in need of financial help from their jet-setting uncle (played by Tom Wilkinson in a couple of brief scenes), and agree to murder the chief witness in an upcoming investigation into the uncle's business practices in exchange for his assistance. The requisite pangs of guilt ensue, the brothers' worlds start to unravel, and everything ends in a tragic but inevitable conclusion. The film is full of the same preoccupations of Greek tragedy -- fate, guilt and hubris -- that Allen frequently examines in his comedies, and that more than anything identify this as a Woody Allen movie.
The acting is quite good, and even if the writing doesn't offer anything profound, Allen knows enough about the basics of dramatic narrative to ensure that everything is developed well and logically. I wasn't on the edge of my seat the way I was while watching "Match Point," but I was pretty engrossed.
Grade: A-
Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell play brothers, one sharp and ambitious, the other dumber and nicer, who find themselves in need of financial help from their jet-setting uncle (played by Tom Wilkinson in a couple of brief scenes), and agree to murder the chief witness in an upcoming investigation into the uncle's business practices in exchange for his assistance. The requisite pangs of guilt ensue, the brothers' worlds start to unravel, and everything ends in a tragic but inevitable conclusion. The film is full of the same preoccupations of Greek tragedy -- fate, guilt and hubris -- that Allen frequently examines in his comedies, and that more than anything identify this as a Woody Allen movie.
The acting is quite good, and even if the writing doesn't offer anything profound, Allen knows enough about the basics of dramatic narrative to ensure that everything is developed well and logically. I wasn't on the edge of my seat the way I was while watching "Match Point," but I was pretty engrossed.
Grade: A-