"Cassandra's Dream" is completely forgettable Woody Allen, a deviation in a storied career, and a film that feels inferior particularly when compared to "crimes", covering some of the same themes and Allen is one of best.
The third film in a row and it is being shot in London, following "Match Point" and "Scoop", is also one of its darkest. Or at least it tries to darkness there are repeated references to Greek tragedies, and Allen is clearly aiming for this kind of gravity, it gropes to find the right tone and never reached suspense. (Philip Glass' insistent customer typically signals early and often that everyone involved is doomed to failure.)
But Allen did get some fascinating moments of co-stars Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor as brothers Terry and Ian, who are so desperate to escape their working class that the education they are willing to commit murder for hire .
Farrell is particularly good, he did not fear being weaselly and pathetic and get a little dirty for his performance as a mechanic and extortion which has the above his head. Slicker McGregor is more nuanced and Ian is a little better at hiding its aspirations, pretending to be a hotel developer and borrowing classic cars to impress an actress (charismatic newcomer Hayley Atwell), which is out of his league, but share his ambition.
As the film begins, the brothers are about to buy a boat, they can not afford. But Terry is pumped from a big victory at the dog track, which leads them both to make this financial leap. They baptize "Cassandra's Dream", the name of the winning dog. The purchase is the first in a series of poor decisions they make.
Allen jumps back and forth between the two men trying to meet a better life. Terry major victories, loses big, high-stakes in poker games and dreams of buying an apartment with his girlfriend (Sally Hawkins), Ian encounter real estate honchos visit the seducer and Angela, his new girlfriend, theatre.
The promise of a visit to their rich uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson, still solid), a plastic surgeon who moved to Los Angeles, both hope. But Howard needs something from them, too, which becomes even deeper into difficulties.
Allen does not seem to try such persons for their cruelty and materialism. He just does not seem to care much about them. It seems to say, it does not matter whether you are a good person or a bad person certain destruction, and the universe is indifferent. These nihilism is not exciting, you feel halfhearted.
"Cassandra's Dream," a Weinstein Co. release, is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual certain documents and brief violence. Running time: 105 minutes. Two stars out of four.
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