|
CASSANDRA'S DREAM Send This Review to a Friend
Writer-director Woody Allen likes to try something different. “Cassandra’s Dream” is akin to Greek tragedy in its modern take on two working class brothers in London who do something they shouldn’t with dire consequences. In a way the story is similar to Sidney Lumet’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” with its two brothers going down the wrong road. But instead of Lumet’s melodrama, Allen proceeds with his humorist’s sense of understated irony even though the film is a suspenseful drama rather than a comedy.
In this accomplished work, which unfolds so smoothly that it grabs one’s attention and doesn’t let go, Ewan McGregor plays one brother, Ian, who has dreams of making it big as an investor in hotels instead of being rooted to helping in his father’s restaurant and gets added incentive when he falls for an attractive, sexy but high maintenance actress, played by the talented and gorgeous Hayley Atwell. His brother Terry, portrayed by Colin Farrell, works in a garage and falls deeply into debt as a result of his gambling. Each needs money in a hurry.
Allen’s underlying humor comes into play when Tom Wilkinson turns up as Uncle Howard, a success story of a family member who has scored in California and has been helping his relatives over the years. The brothers look to him for new financial aid, which he is willing to provide, but, it turns out at a price that stuns them. Ironically, it seems Uncle Howard has severe problems of his own. As Ian and Terry rationalize what they must do, the plot thickens and their lives go into a tailspin.
McGregor and Farrell are excellent, as is Wilkinson, and as are John Benfield and Clare Higgins as the parents and Sally Hawkins as Kate, Terry’s outgoing, devoted wife. Allen has a good ear for London working class dialogue, and he uses the city with marvelous location shots, corresponding to the way in which he creatively has used Manhattan. The director seems increasingly at home working abroad. (His next film will is located in Spain.)
There are those who pre-conceive what they expect in a Woody Allen movie and tend to be dismissive when they don’t find it. If he ventures into similar territory, he gets criticized. But if, on the other hand, he follows his instincts and tries to explore new terrain, audiences may be thrown off guard. “Cassandra’s Dream” merits welcome as a sharp, entertaining piece of work that offers a good cast, a strong, suspenseful story with an ironic twist, believable characters and a cinematic eyeful of London. It deserves an important place in the trajectory of his career. A Weinstein Company release.
|