A Murderous Mismatch

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2009)

Unlike most of his films which are usually romance or comedy or both, 'Match Point' is a suspenseful character-driven thriller. Woody Allen adopts a very Hitchcockian style in 'Match Point'. It isn't like anything he's made before. His fascination with England is interesting and you do see that he makes a lot of use of the English sights (though some may think the showing of monuments etc are clichéd). His other fascination seems to be actress Scarlett Johanssen whom he has already cast in his more recent three films. Though I have never found her convincing as an actress, here she actually does a fine job but the film clearly belongs Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Many seem to complain about his accent or his restraint but, in my opinion, he does a wonderful job playing a complex and difficult character. An adorable and vivacious Emily Mortimer shines. She is a scene stealer and it is good to finally see her in a role that exposes her talent. It's also good to see Brian Cox in something different for a change and Penelope Wilton has always been a dependable actress. Allen does a superb job in building the suspense by following the lead character and exposing his thoughts. The film is said to be loosely based on Dosteyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' and there are several references to his works. Opera music is cleverly used in the story as the characters are shown to be deeply drawn towards it. Lastly, 'Match Point' is another one of Allen's winners. It's impressive that at this age, and after so many duds, he could make a film that looks so modern and feels fresh.