Thrilling and Complex!

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2006)

Wow! "Match Point" was my first Woody Allen movie, and DANG it was good! I came out of the movie all giddy and excited about how good this movie was, no wonder it's now sitting at #5 in my top movies of 2005! The movie was clever, exciting, suspenseful, involving, artistic, and powerful all at the same time. I must say that Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (who was also in "Bend It Like Beckham") outdid himself and delivered a knock-out performance as the social-ladder climbing/adulterating husband in the movie! His portrayal of his guilt, indecision, and passion are so raw yet nuanced that I can fully appreciate the dilemma that his character has to go through in the movie. It seems that there are so many good performances by a male lead in the past month that the Oscar race is definitely shaping up to be a slug-out! All the other supporting actors in the movie were very good, though not as many got the chance to shine like Meyers. I believe he stole the show.
As for the screenplay and directing by Woody Allen, I must say that I am very very impressed! The story had twists and turns that kept me guessing. Every time I thought I figured out the ending, something else (believable) pops up. The whole theme that was set in the beginning ("I'd rather be lucky than good") was laced throughout the movie, to a very good effect. I especially loved Allen's inclusion of literature, art, and music into this movie, and the story draws its strength from all three aspects. The movie explores many topics including adultery, wealth vs love, guilt, passion, and of course, luck vs skill. All this, mixed in with some great music (mostly from an tragic opera - is that a redundancy? ), led me through a roller coaster ride of emotions and lots of anxiety for the characters' fate in the movie. I attribute that to Woddy Allen's superb directorial skills! I remember reading a review for this movie that said, "To call this movie Woody Allen's comeback is an understatement!" I fully agree with that assessment! The *only* flaw I found in the movie was Jonathan Rhys-Meyer's tennis forehand... for a pro that supposedly played against Agassi and Rusedski, his forehand was quite painful to watch... haha! But hey, the movie is so good I can forgive him for that! So what are you waiting for? Go see the movie already! You'll be thrilled!