Woody, Meet Mr. Hitchcock

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2006)

Anyone who laments the fact that Alfred Hitchcock is no longer alive to make thrillers can rest easy---the Woodman is on the case.
"Match Point" is a ghoulishly entertaining movie that threatens to become a rip-off of "An American Tragedy" mixed with "Crime and Punishment," until Woody jerks the film in a totally different direction and makes it utterly original.
For about the first twenty minutes of the film, I was thinking how ironic it was that Allen's best movie in a long time (and even in the first twenty minutes you can tell it is indeed going to be that) should also be his most unoriginal. The plot is cliché, and is not helped by the fact that Allen borrows heavily from Theodore Dreiser in setting up his main character's dilemma. However, once the protagonist (for want of a better word) sets out to plan the "perfect" murder, inspired by "Crime and Punishment" (which you see him reading early on in the film), the movie becomes an anything-can-happen nailbiter, and had me on the edge of my seat.
Scarlet Johannsson is remarkable as an emotionally unstable love interest; Allen uses her sultry good looks to perfect effect, and he includes her in some of the most erotic moments he's ever filmed. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who I can't decide whether or not I like, also equips himself well as the ex-tennis pro who finds himself torn between a life of privilege and his lust for the object of his desire. And all of the supporting players are excellent, though I expected no less from a Woody Allen film.
Allen shows complete mastery of a genre he's never tackled. This doesn't even seem like an Allen film at first glance, but many of his recurring themes are here, and his usual knack for writing such strong characters with such believable motives adds much to the suspense and effectiveness of the film overall.
A true stunner of a movie, easily one of the best of the year.
Grade: A