Cassandra's Dream
Woody Allen's latest film, Cassandra's Dream, is yet another London set thriller that is nothing fresh, but acute and hinders on a strong performance by Colin Farrell. The story plays out like a Greek tragedy, but is not as ambitious as Allen's Match Point, but a step up from his last film, Scoop.
The film follows two enduring brothers who are both opposites, but share in financial woes and anticipation. Ian (Ewan McGregor) runs a family restaurant, but has his eyes set on opening hotels in California. He sometimes borrows flashy cars to express the lifestyle he wants from his mechanic brother Terry (Colin Farrell), who is a simple man, but a compulsive gambler. The two brothers have steady girlfriends (Hayley Atwell and Sally Hawkins); Terry is honest and lovable to his, while Ian puts up a rich image to his. After Terry wins a handsome some, the two buy a boat together and name it Cassandra's Dream. The boat is a symbol of their relationship as they enjoy weekends on the water with their significant others.
Things turn sour when Terry's gambling problems put him in a deep hole, along with crushing Ian's finances for his hotel endeavors. With no other place to turn, the brothers turn to their very wealthy Uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) for support. After hearing both of the brothers' pleas, Howard agrees to help them out if the two conduct a horrible crime to save him from a fraud investigation. After first denying their uncle, the two agree to his deal.
Cassandra's Dream is something we have all seen before, but Allen's writing keeps it interesting. The script is nothing like his previous crime marvels, Crimes and Misdemeanors or Match Point, but the writing still has Woody Allen written all over it. The story is a tragedy about choice and family, that may come across as too talky to some, but favorable to fans of Woody Allen's dialogue.
The bright spot of the film is the work by Colin Farrell, which is his best in years. As Terry, Farrell transforms from a gambling addict to man filled with guilt and sorrow. Terry is the conscience of the Cassandra's Dream, and without Farrell's precision, this film would have been stale. Ewan McGregor is complementary as the other brother Ian, and Tom Wilkinson has a convincingly stellar speech of family when divulging his proposition to Terry and Ian.
Woody Allen struck gold with the London based crime film Match Point in 2005, which was unlike anything he has ever delivered. He followed it up with another London based thriller, Scoop, which struggled to find its rhythm. Now, with Cassandra's Dream, it is nothing stellar from Allen, but commendable. There are times where his dark humor style attempts to breakthrough in the film, but it might have been better to just deliver a straightforward thriller. The film hinges on the work by Farrell, who gives it an air when it starts to suffocate.
The film follows two enduring brothers who are both opposites, but share in financial woes and anticipation. Ian (Ewan McGregor) runs a family restaurant, but has his eyes set on opening hotels in California. He sometimes borrows flashy cars to express the lifestyle he wants from his mechanic brother Terry (Colin Farrell), who is a simple man, but a compulsive gambler. The two brothers have steady girlfriends (Hayley Atwell and Sally Hawkins); Terry is honest and lovable to his, while Ian puts up a rich image to his. After Terry wins a handsome some, the two buy a boat together and name it Cassandra's Dream. The boat is a symbol of their relationship as they enjoy weekends on the water with their significant others.
Things turn sour when Terry's gambling problems put him in a deep hole, along with crushing Ian's finances for his hotel endeavors. With no other place to turn, the brothers turn to their very wealthy Uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) for support. After hearing both of the brothers' pleas, Howard agrees to help them out if the two conduct a horrible crime to save him from a fraud investigation. After first denying their uncle, the two agree to his deal.
Cassandra's Dream is something we have all seen before, but Allen's writing keeps it interesting. The script is nothing like his previous crime marvels, Crimes and Misdemeanors or Match Point, but the writing still has Woody Allen written all over it. The story is a tragedy about choice and family, that may come across as too talky to some, but favorable to fans of Woody Allen's dialogue.
The bright spot of the film is the work by Colin Farrell, which is his best in years. As Terry, Farrell transforms from a gambling addict to man filled with guilt and sorrow. Terry is the conscience of the Cassandra's Dream, and without Farrell's precision, this film would have been stale. Ewan McGregor is complementary as the other brother Ian, and Tom Wilkinson has a convincingly stellar speech of family when divulging his proposition to Terry and Ian.
Woody Allen struck gold with the London based crime film Match Point in 2005, which was unlike anything he has ever delivered. He followed it up with another London based thriller, Scoop, which struggled to find its rhythm. Now, with Cassandra's Dream, it is nothing stellar from Allen, but commendable. There are times where his dark humor style attempts to breakthrough in the film, but it might have been better to just deliver a straightforward thriller. The film hinges on the work by Farrell, who gives it an air when it starts to suffocate.
review written by: Bailey Henderson
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