One Of The Best Thrillers Of All Time

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2012)

Hitchcock = suspense. Scorsese = gritty drama. Ford = westerns. Allen = comedy.
What you have read above is all true. Except for one thing. Hitchcock is the master of suspense, Scorsese is the master of gritty drama's, Ford is the master of westerns. Allen is the master of comedy, suspense, drama and thriller. And he proves it, he really proves it, in Match Point.
Young retired tennis player Chris Wilton accepts a job as a tennis instructor at a posh tennis club in London. One day, he shares a court with Tom Hewett, destined to become his brother-in-law. He marries Hewett's sister, Chloe a few months later. Wilton climbs his way up the ladder at work, working for his father-in-law. He basically is very well set. He has a bright future. Only one problem, he is also involved in an intense sexual relationship with his brother-in-law's fiancée.
The film is definitely one of the best thrillers ever to hit the screen. The performances by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johanasson and Emily Mortimer are excellent. Rhys Meyers and Johanasson are especially noteworthy. The film's setting suits it perfectly. Then there is the fact that it's directed by Woody Allen.
I might be stressing this point a little too much but, it's. Directed. By. Woody. Allen. There I think I got my point across. Allen, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Purple Rose Of Cairo, Midnight In Paris. That Woody Allen. That being said, it is probably Allen's second best film (after Annie Hall). It is a great stylistic thriller. His direction is flawless. The screenplay, also written by Allen contains some of the best crackling, suspenseful, witty dialogue written in years.
The film is a must see for any Allen fan, or a fan of any good thriller. It is, in my opinion, the best film of 2005, and one of the greatest thrillers to hit the big screen since the 70's. It's stylish, intense and thoroughly evolving. Match Point is a great film.