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CAPONE Drifts Off With Woody Allen’s CASSANDRA’S DREAM!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
Again... Quick Draw Capone beats me to the punch with his take on the latest film from Woody Allen. I’ve got a lot to say about it, so I’ll get to that and leave you in Capone’s capable hands...
Hey folks. Capone in Chicago here.
If you didn't look closely, Woody Allen's latest twisted morality tale may bear a striking resemblance to another UK-set Allen drama of late that also featured a handful of good-looking, younger actors and a murder committed more out of desperation than anger or cruelty. Truth be told, it's almost impossible to watch CASSANDRA'S DREAM without recalling Allen's magnificent MATCH POINT. Sure, the social strata that brothers Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell) occupy isn't quite as upper crust as the characters in Match Point, but that almost makes their predicament all the more tense and perilous. Their place in society isn't quite as impenetrable, and if the clues in the murder they commit begin to point to them, they aren't elite enough to be above suspicion. I can enjoy portions of even the least accomplished Allen comedy (especially if he stars in it), but it's his recent dramas that have reinvigorated my interest in and anticipation for each new film.
Ian and Terry are cut from different cloth, but they are still close, and the bond between them seems unbreakable. Even though they can't afford it, they buy a fixer-upper of a boat near the beginning of the film and take her out on the sea for one last moment of serenity before all hell breaks loose in their lives. Ian helps manage their family restaurant, which does alright financially but is never going to make him rich. He has higher ambitions about opening up a chain of hotels in America with a business partner, but for that he needs money. When he meets a stunning young actress (Hayley Awell), his cashflow needs increase all the more. Terry leads a simpler life as an auto mechanic, but a chronic gambling problem puts him in a dangerous amount of debt to the wrong kind of people.
Enter into the picture ridiculously rich Uncle Howard (the glorious Tom Wilkinson), who has always been more than generous with the family. Then again, the family has never been quite this needy. Both nephews spell out their needs (Ian wants enough to invest in the model plan, while Terry's money would go toward clearing his debts), and Howard seems sympathetic, but he wants something in return. A former friend and business associate is about to make life very difficult for Howard, and he needs the man taken out. And it's at this point in the story that Allen's skill as a writer and filmmaker can be most appreciated. The way he handles this particular sequence is kind of great. Standing under a tree with low-hanging branches, the camera circles the conversation on the other side of the branches. At times, you can only see one character or partial glimpses of the actors. The brothers are completely appalled by the proposition, but their loyalty to their uncle keeps them from getting angry. The normally calm and kind Howard begins to lose his composure when they refuse the exchange, and there are very few actors other than Wilkinson who could have handled this material with such perfection.
The boys' money problems don't disappear, and naturally the time comes where they reconsider the offer. Watching McGregor and Farrell plot and carry out the deed is intense, as you can actually see them plant the seeds of their own potential destruction as both moral human beings and loving brothers. We've seen McGregor play this type of cunning character, but that takes nothing away from his performance here. But it's Farrell who really surprised me with what might be the best performance of his career. Terry is a simple man with a simple set of principles, and his guilt is easily manipulated. Ian does it, Uncle Howard does it, but eventually his own overwhelming shame at the crime he's committed overwhelms him. He doesn't talk about God at all in the story, but he acts like a man afraid he's going to hell, and Farrell captures that with such believability that I literally forgot every other role I've seen him in.
Without giving too much away about the way the story plays out, I will say that some may see CASSANDRA'S DREAM as the counterpoint to MATCH POINT (some might even say it acts as an apologist reaction to that film), but it's not that simple. Allen uses the murder as a way to throw a stick of dynamite into the tight-knit family unit that Ian and Terry have. Throughout literature and cinema, stories of the bond between brothers have often been told, but Allen doesn't seem that impressed or convinced of the structural soundness of that connection. He seems to say, look how easily money, women and a killing tear these two men apart. I'm guessing that anyone who simply dismisses Allen at this point in his career hasn't seen that many of his recent films, or they're just lazy thinkers. I'll be the first to admit that 2006's SCOOP wasn't one of his better comedies, but go back two years before that to the hilarious MELINDA AND MELINDA, and you'll remember what fun it is to laugh at New Yorkers (and if you think Josh Brolin's comeback began in 2007, you probably didn't see Melinda and Melinda). Anyone who puts out a new movie every nine to 12 months is bound to have a few clinkers, but that won't stop me from waiting with baited breath for Allen's VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, which is scheduled to come out later this year and stars Javier Bardem, Scarlet Johansson and Penelope Cruz in a love triangle story set in Spain. I haven't got a clue whether it's going to be any good, but I'm going to have the greatest time finding out.
Capone
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Could it be?
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No matter how good his movies are you kind of get sick of him releasing two a year, every year, for the last 30 years!
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It's getting trashed. You lost me at the Melinda and Melinda remarks. That was a complete embarrassment for all involved.
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I missed Match Point, heard it was OK.
But this I will have to see.
Woody Allen films are like Pizza and sex, even if its bad it's still good!! -
SuckLeTrou you're obviously not looking. Farrell deserves some decent roles, and has more ability in his baby fuckin' finger than that cunt Orlando Bloom has in his whole fuckin body. Also, nice review Capone! It's trendy to abuse Farrell however unwarrented it may be.
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Jan 18, 2008 4:42:38 AM CST
Was just thinking I wanted to see mori's review of this
by industrykiller!
Since this is the type of film he usually thrives on when reviewing. Get it up quick!
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This sounds good enough to pique my interest. Nice clear consice review.
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One of the worst of 2007. I loved Match Point, one of my favorite movies of that year, but while that had a slow tightening of the noose and a desperation about it...this movie hits the same beats over and over and over again.
SPOILERS
First half the movie: Ewan is desperate for money to impress his girl, Colin is desperate for money because of gambling; second half: Ewan wants to forget about what they did and cheerily gets on with his life, Colin spirals into depression. Then a final useless scene and you're out of there to wonder why you wasted your time. -
"Stop being such a Cassandra"
"But I am Cassandra" -
As Roger Ebert says: The identical premise is used in Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," which is like a master class in how Allen goes wrong.
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Contrived bollocks.
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I don't support the work of pedophiles.
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His stellar library will always carry me through to watch a new film of his. Looking forward to seeing this whether it turns out to be a Crimes & Misdemeanors or a September.
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Capone who are you kidding? It was seriously disappointing. The plot said nothing new, the dialogue was atrocious and the acting was sub-par.I'd love it for Woody to reinvent himself as a thriller director, but Hitchcock he ain't. He needs to run, not walk, back to Manhattan and the world he knows, because the "truthful" moments in CASSANDRA were sparse. Maybe it's cos I'm British, but the tone of the film disturbed me almost from the start, there was something "off" about scene after scene that didn't allow me to concentrate on the developing plotline. I just kept thinking "people don't talk like that!" instead of becoming engrossed in the film. And I don't just mean the ropey accents, I mean the dialogue, it felt stilted and unrealistic. Actually I felt kind of the same way watching MATCH POINT, but it had a more interesting plot so I was willing to overlook it. But here neither Farrell nor McGregor manage to pull off being working class Londoners - they change accents mid-sentence - but it probably didn't help having to speak the words Woody wrote for them. Why didn't the director just cast two Londoners for the parts? He actually did his film a great disservice using the leads he did (and I am a fan, more or less, of both men). They don't even look like brothers for Chrissakes! *****SPOILERS***** As for the ending, it just kind of peters out.. the final shots.. I had hoped for a great MATCH POINT twist, thinking it might save the movie, but...no. Instead we get P.C. Exposition explaining his theory of what happened onboard the yacht to the detective ... shot of said yacht..cut to black! Err, OK, I guess Woody was aiming for tragedy but it felt more as though he had just grown bored of the whole thing,like he couldn't be bothered anymore and wanted to wrap things up fast. Sigh.. here endeth my slagging - the reason I'm so hard on this movie is probably because I love the man and his movies so much and I hate to see how low he's fallen. It's actually sad to me. Woody, have you ever thought about retiral? You've said in past interviews that if someone told you tomorrow you couldn't make movies anymore, then that would be OK. Well, maybe now is the time.
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Off to see it tonight, guess I'll find out for myself! Interesting reading Ebert's comment comparing it with CASSANDRA.
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Have read some reports that farrels film In Bruges, showing at sundance is outstanding, has anyone seen it???
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I agree about everything except the "fucking brilliant" bit. And yes, i am on crack.
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I just dont believe in movie's making bad deeds go unpunished just for the sake of realism. Match Point was horrible. Crimes and Misdemaenors was simialr but I enjoyed that for its twist of irony. Having said that, I do think Woody Allen is a good film make and I enjoy most of his films but I do question his twisted logic sometimes and lack of morals.
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before the devil knows youre dead 2.
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ever read. It's not about realizm, it's about a very interesting outlook on life. You completly missed it's point. And by the way, THERE ARE PLENTY of good review for this movie.
I can't wait to see it.
And, Grammaton Cleric Binks, get you facts str8 before you accuse people! -
I'm obviously not looking...for that one good review among dozens of bad ones to pin my hopes on. I should go get some glasses or something!
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Jan 18, 2008 12:11:30 PM CST
Match Point was a plagiarized amoral MESS with huge plot holes
by lettersoftransit
Woody stole the murder scene from Crime and Punishment and didn't bother adjusting it for the fact that a hundred fifty years later there are things like DNA evidence and coroners who can tell a victim was pregnant and police who would know enough to interview the victim's co-worker from the shop. And the much-vaunted twist at the end was not much more than a collosal and deliberate voice-over mislead. If anyone else had submitted such a script to a studio it would have been savaged as unprofessional work by an unpromising screenwriter.
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Sorry, sounds like BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD lite. And I was an Allen fan about 7-12 films ago. Fragly, whether anyone gibs a dab, Miss Johansson spells it with 2 t's. Now there's an actor that could use a hit, not another paycheck. Tip - Maybe avoid being a near underage muse for a 'usta was' dirty old director.
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Woody Allen, as a filmmaker, has so much goodwill with me that it will never run out.
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So he's making this film for the 3rd time???
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You're of of those lame CSI fans, aren't you?
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I love Woody Allen, he is one of my favorite filmmakers, and one of the greatest American artists of our time. My fave's include Hannah and her Sisters, Husbands and Wives, Annie Hall, of course the early slapsticks, Bananas, Sleeper, etc, even enjoyed Melinda, and thought Match Point was pretty awesome.... This film is awkward from start to finish. The dialogue, written by the master of film speech, is simple yet clunky at the same time. "Show dont tell" is a rule of film that should often be followed, yet, the conversations and much of the movie are ALL telling. (spoilers after this probaby, spoilers after this probably, do not flame me for not saying SPOILERS after this probably) "Uncle Howard" this, "Uncle Howard" that. "Im unhappy" this, "Im unhappy" that. There is ZERO wit, one of Allen's greatest attributes, Zero charm as well. Character's motivations are plain sloppy at points. When Terry tells Ian hes going to turn himself in, Ian doesnt once try to talk him out, just sort of says, "what about me and uncle howard" then within 20 seconds of screen time, instantly decides to kill his own brother. weak. Even Tom UNCLE HOWARD (count how many times UH is said...) Wilkenson, who delivers a decent performance, acts on dubious motivation. He goes from the family golden boy patriarch, that so so much of the film slaves to explain, to a anxious criminal maniac in seconds. Again, I love Woody, love him to death, but this film is a miss. It kills me to say so. Often i despise when people have problems with the endings of films, but hypocritical as it is, the ending sucked. It sucked pretty damned bad. The film built up to nothing. The entire time, I was waiting for the scene or climax that would validate such trite, it never came. Some other sloppy points seemed to stem from editing, I think. Like toward the end of the film when Ian mentions his UNCLE HOWARD from CALIFORNIA (again count the times CA is said) to his lover, like it is the first time, when clearly, the entire film has adressed UH from CA. Or how Ian asks, hey remember you met Terrys girlfreind, toward the end, when again clearly they had spent time together thorughout the film. Some of these ravings may make sense only to those who have seen the film, if even them, I apoligize for the long-windedness. THE GOOD! yes there is some good-- Colin Farrel devlivers an honest to goodness decent performance. He starts off as a sweet, even innocent young man, and plays that in a nuanced, effective way, by the time he unravels, it is fascinating to witness. He did a fantastic job keeping the film afloat for me. So yea, shitty shitty film from one of the greatest living filmmakers on the planet, even as it kills me to say so. So shitty in fact that much of the audience was laughing at the SHOWGIRLS-esque dialouge. -- I want desperatly to dig his next film
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It is a lot like 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' which is a near perfect film, and certainly doesn't need a do over. So this would make the third go a the same story.
I also wondered if 'Melinda and Melinda' was two different scripts he junked and then put together to make a so-so movie. -
Just quoting myself from the future, after this comes to my neighbourhood movie house and leaves without issue. It's been a while since Allen made a movie that a lot of people talked about, or was nominated for a lot of awards. Then again, neither have I. As for Farrell, well, I don't have a problem with the guy, but he needs a new five-year plan. He has to either start doing small movies and show off his acting chops, or start making blockbusters again. Then again, neither have I.
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