oOoBarracuda If you are not a fan of Woody Allen's, this film is for you! Cassandra's Dream, written and directed by Woody Allen in 2007 does not, even once, look, sound, or give the vibe of a Woody Allen film. I'm not saying anything that is supposed to resemble "You're not a "true" Woody Allen fan if you like Cassandra's Dream. Of course, there are Woody Allen fans that enjoyed it; I'm simply suggesting that there's something here even for those that don't appreciate Woody's work. I am not a fan of this point in Woody's career where he seemed to be preoccupied with murder and getting away with it. Cassandra's Dream found a pair of brothers who were always experiencing financial woes decide to turn to crime to gain fortune. The problem is, the crime life resulted in them turning against each other.There's a lot I like about Woody Allen films, but my favorite part is consistently the script. I don't know what happened with Cassandra's Dream, but that Woody-like perfect script was absent. The film was oddly cast and absent a score that Woody typically so carefully constructs. Usually, I can find something redeeming in a Woody Allen film, something that I can lean on as positive even in one of his films I didn't care for--I struggle with Cassandra's Dream, however; it was one of the films I blind bought to meet this month's film project so I have plenty of time to change my mind on it.

TheLittleSongbird 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

gridoon2018 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.

GeneralUrsus Woody Allen's latest foray into the thriller realm is an extremely compelling story of family ties and murder. Before the murderous game is afoot Allen spends a good deal of time setting up his characters with multiple layers and nuances.Two regular working class English brothers each hoping their rich uncle will help them out financially must first complete a murderous task. What makes this film so intense and highly suspenseful is that Woody Allen has created a pair of very believable characters in Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell). As they conptemplate the dreadful task of murdering an associate of their uncle, we are sucked right into this frightening dilemma with them. Allen's movie is so strong because it examines the daunting task and repercussions accepted by the brothers. This is not some standard Hollywood, glossed over, thriller where people are knocked off and life goes on. Woody Allen ratchets up the tension in every frame and his film is so exciting because it is so very real. McGregor and Farrell turn in some terrific performances as the two brothers. McGregor is in top form as the manipulative, deal maker. Without question Colin Farrell has turned in his most memorable performance yet. Farrell's character Terry is a very gentle soul, a complete opposite from anything he has ever played, a stellar performance that is both beautiful and tragic. Cassandra's Dream is a very entertaining film, it will make you think, it will make you squirm and it will stay with you long after you've exited the theater.