Exquisitely crafted drama-thriller by Woody

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2006)

A match point is, in tennis, the final point needed to win a game. Chris (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) points out to us early on that this point is more decided to random chance than anything else, as are most occurrences in the world - and that one little detail can determine your fate, if you're lucky or unlucky. Match Point (2005) is a film constructed almost solely on luck, exquisitely balancing on tiptoes throughout and sometimes being unbearably exciting because of it.
"I don't fool myself that I've gotten used to a certain kind of living."

So says Chris, who is living a comfortable life with his extraordinarily well-off wife, enjoying the luxury and stability that her family affords him. What takes him and shakes him off this balance--off his stable tiptoes--is the beautiful Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) and the two engage in a romantic affair that Chris struggles to hide from his wife.

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers successfully captures the inner turmoil of his character and being in every scene of the film, we truly sympathise with him and I found myself totally engrossed in his struggle to juggle two women and all the problems that this brought with it. Scarlett Johansson is a mediocre actress here at best, delivering her dynamic Woody Allen-written lines with less conviction and less subtlety than the rest of the cast - but it is her gorgeous looks that propel the film because, in truth, this is all that is needed of her character as 'the other woman'.
Match Point spirals into a complex story by Woody Allen, but it is extremely well-crafted, paying great attention to little details and dialogue. It is seductive without playing too much on sex, as the trailer suggests. The long-drawn scenes were all compelling to watch and felt swift and poignant. I loved nearly everything about it, except for the tedious opera music that was playing in the background - it felt as though that device had already been used, and probably by Woody Allen himself.
8/10