Cassandra's Dream (2007)

I thought this film was mediocre. I used to be a Woody Allen fan in the 1970's with films like Annie Hall, Play It Again Sam, and Sleeper, so mostly comedies, with sharp dialog.However, Cassandra's Dream just falls flat. I found the acting to be thin. Ewan Macgregor was hardly believable; it seemed like he had trouble doing the stupid things his character was doing. Colin Farrell as his brother had some good moments, and then some moments where he just was not believable. The most disturbing character was Ewan's girlfriend, whom he suddenly falls in love with after one meeting? This wench/slut who seems to have a shady life. Come on, after 2 times Ewan decides this girl is the best thing that ever happened to him? Maybe that was Woody being Woody, but it was hard for me to relate to that emotional shift.You could definitely feel that this was a Woody Allen dialog. Lots of thoughts and emotions and I should haves and I love you and I hate you and pulling you emotionally left and then right. But the acting didn't deliver, and the plot just never grabs you.Tom Wilkinson and Colin Farrell's girlfriend did a decent job of acting, but the Uncle's choices, again, were difficult to believe. As to the ending, I don't know why people thought it came suddenly. This movie had to end somewhat tragically, because there was really no place left to end it, and it was Woody moralizing about human behavior.All told, I'd skip this unless you are a big Colin Farrell and Ewan Macgregor fan. You may be somewhat entertained by their acting, despite the weak plot. As for me, I prefer to stay awake and skip my trip aboard the sinking ship called Cassandra's Dream.

As someone who really likes, often loves, a lot of Woody Allen's films, there's always a debate on the boards for his films about what film was his best and what was his worst. And Cassandra's Dream is almost always mentioned as his worst or one of them, some going as far to say it's one of the worst films ever made, has one of the worst scripts and that it seemed as if it was made in haste. For me, Cassandra's Dream is nowhere near among Allen's best, in fact it's one of his weaker films, but it was not as bad as I'd heard it was. There are problems, the ending and the script being the biggest issues. The ending is way too rushed and not as tight as it could've been, it just seemed incomplete and with loose ends. The script has its moments of thoughtfulness and tension but this is really not one of Allen's tightest and observant scripts(one of his weakest possibly, but overall there are far worse scripts than this) with some of the speeches on whether murder is moral sounding really clunky and the asides on inevitability and fate coming across as self-conscious. Some of the pacing is tedious and structurally it did seem as though the film was written in haste. Much of the story is compelling though with scenes with tension that you can cut with a knife, the best scene from personal perspective was the one under the tree in the rain which was beautifully shot and the writing had its spark too here. The cinematography is fluid and suitably macabre, Allen's direction has degrees of assurance and while a little too loud and unfitting at times Phillip Glass' score is unmistakably minimalist and incredibly haunting, especially the murder theme. The acting has gotten mixed opinions, some saying it was great, others saying it seemed under-rehearsed. I'd go as far to say that mostly it was the former, apart from some dodgy accents(Colin Farrell's sounded like three rolled into one) and a few actors being underused, wish there was more of Tom Wilkinson. Ewan McGregor carries the film just fine and Farrell matches him in a turn that's funny and emotional. Hayley Atwell shone and Sally Hawkins and Clare Higgins, ever, dependable, are excellent. Tom Wilkinson is not seen much but he stands out in a chilling performance, advantaged by that he is a large part of why the scene under the tree in the rain worked so well as a scene. Sadly, Phil Davis seemed out of place and lost, not helped by that he had next to nothing to work with. All in all, Cassandra's Dream is disappointing and I do share some of the criticisms it's gotten but it does have many merits and is not as bad as all that. 6/10 Bethany Cox

It might have been hard for Allen to do something as good as Match Point, but even if Cassandra's Dream is not better, it is still a very enjoyable and entertaining movie. This is a Woody Allen film, no chance of being wrong with that. Just watch the way it is filmed, the beginning, the dialogues, you'll see that this is TOTALLY Woody Allen. Except that the main characters are not Woody himself and another female character, but two male characters. I guess this is not Allen's cup of tea to do that, but he did it quite successfully. Though Colin Farrell is not my favourite actor, at the opposite, I think Ewan McGregor is a much better one. But I think this film is still a very good movie even if not better than Match Point. The story stays very interesting, the actors are very good and the climax is just breathtaking, in my opinion. Another good Allen movie, keep going!

Woody Allen proves his versatility once again by writing-directing a serious movie, set in London, with working-class leading characters. It's a delicate mix of slice-of-life, character drama, a small dose of black comedy ("What are you doing there, plotting an assassination?"), and even some moments of heart-stopping suspense. Most of the suspense, however, is of the cerebral kind. Allen gets the viewer thinking: "Will they go through with it?", "What would I do in their place?", and near the end, "My God, I can't believe he's even thinking of doing that, but then again, what other choices does he have left?". A fine ensemble cast, Philip Glass' haunting score, and Vilmos Zsigmond's vivid cinematography complete the package of one of Allen's most provocative and underrated films, although his staging does feel a tad "TV-ish" at times. *** out of 4.