Allen's greatest achievement? Possibly.

Rating: 9/10 (21 March 2013)

Out of all the Woody Allen films I've seen so far, this is the one I can safely say I found hilarious. The comic timing on display is nearly perfect, and the film does a great job of staying unpredictable with the visual gags and constantly moving forward. Allen and Keaton have never been more fun to watch on screen, and they're aided by a strong supporting cast. The writing is extremely clever as well, satirizing Russian literature and making references to such films as "The Seventh Seal" and the works of Sergei Eisenstein. The film doesn't require you to have seen those films to find the references funny, though, and that's due to the brilliant execution. The film also contains Allen's trademark mock-philosophical debates that have been seen in his other films, except this time I found them far more engaging and funny than usual instead of rolling my eyes.
The use of music was also clever, especially during the big, epic battle scene, which makes use of the music from Sergei Eisenstein's "Alexander Nevsky"; an excellent touch. That scene also winds up becoming one of the funniest in the entire film. Those who are fans of the likes of Charlie Chaplin and The Marx Brothers will want to check this film out as well since it pays tribute to them. Diane Keaton played her best character in all of Allen's films here, as it's both fully developed and charming. Demonstrating Allen at his most eclectic and creative, it's here that he made perhaps the most entertaining period piece (if you can call it that) of all time. If you haven't seen it yet, I can't recommend it enough. Even if you don't find it as funny as I did, it's likely you'll still be amused by it. As of right now, I'm proclaiming this as Allen's masterpiece. Every element just clicks to form a great, wondrous whole that never ceases to be entertaining or get a laugh out of me.