Woody Allen's Third Strike

Rating: 2/10 (10 June 2006)

So many reviews praised this film on IMDb that I went right out and rented it. The expectation was for a solidly made Film Noir with a sensational ending that knocks the viewer out. Not so, McGee!
Granted that the acting, storyline, and the beautiful photography of London and the English countryside --- these things make an excellent first half; but just as a great appetizer can lead to disappointment when the main course is soggy, Woody sets us up and fails to deliver. I don't think it's a spoiler to say the movie self-distructs about halfway through, falling into foolish absurdity; a waste of the viewer's time.
Remembering that 2005 was the year which brought us Peter Jackson's pathetic mess of an alleged King Kong remake, as well as the worst body of pictures in 40 years, perhaps viewers seized on the few glimmers of excellence in the first hour. Sorry, but stacked up against the greats of the Film Noir genre, this film doesn't hold a candle.