Game, Set, and Match to Mr. Allen

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2006)

Woody's first film outside New York is like a breath of fresh air. Here he revisits the dramatic landscape of "Crimes and Misdemeanors" with shades of "Crime and Punishment" and "A Place in the Sun." However, he masterfully blends all these familiar themes into something his very own, thanks to a clever script. Rhys Meyers, who played Elvis Presley earlier and certainly resembles him, is fine as a social-climbing tennis pro caught between two women. Johansson looks ravishing as the object of his affection and she gives a terrific performance as the other woman. In weaving his intriguing tale, Allen generates some suspenseful moments that would do Hitchcock proud.