Cassandra's Dream (2007)

I went into the Toronto Film Fest screening of Woody Allen's latest movie Cassandra's Dream completely void of knowing anything about it. With no other preconception besides the fact that I really enjoyed Match Point, I sat down to see what was in store this time around. Would it be a comedy or a drama? Since his last entry, Scoop, was a comic one, which I have not yet seen, I was ready to be enthralled with a mystery of dramatic proportions. What a surprise, though, when around a quarter of the way through, this one turned from serious to amusing. I need to believe that the laughs are intentional because of the way in which the performers start to ham it up for the camera. No way would Woody allow that to happen if he didn't really want it to. Upon exiting the cinema—the glorious Elgin Theatre that reminded me a lot of Buffalo's own Shea's—many audience members seemed to be buzzing about whether they were laughing at good comedy or bad, over-the-top theatrics. I never second-guessed myself that the laughs were genuine and by doing so, I found that I loved this film.

Some of you may be aware that Allen had cast and started preproduction on a film directly before beginning Cassandra's Dream. For some reason the production fell through and was ultimately scrapped. No one knows if it was somehow reworked into the movie we see now, but I would guess that it was not. My first impression, once we discover the true impetus of the movie, was that this is Match Point with comedy. The plots of both follow a very similar path and the murder and guilt accompanied with it are one and the same. In the end, the only real difference between the two, besides the superficial supporting characters that are switched around, is the way in which both conclude. Whereas Match Point stays calm and methodical, Cassandra becomes very much a comedy of errors. It will really depend on your personal taste for which you feel succeeds more. Also, if you liked the first, you should like this new spin, but, if you disliked the first, you may find yourself enjoying this one because it seems to rectify a lot of what people criticized Match Point for.

Our entry point into the tale is with two brothers played by Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell. The two come from a modest family, whose father is a restaurant owner attempting to get McGregor's character to take over the business for him, while Farrell works at a garage fixing cars when not betting at the neighborhood track. Allen does a wonderful thing with these characters as he casts both against type. McGregor is usually the heart on his sleeve type and sympathetic in nature while Farrell generally plays the ladies-man lothario who is not afraid of a little scrap. Both are completely flipped on their heads here with Ewan getting ample opportunity to be cool under pressure, seeing the big picture at all times and Colin showing some real nice range as the depressed and conflicted one, unable to wrestle with his conscience. Much like Terry Gilliam's Brothers Grimm with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger cast as opposites, I believe this change of pace helps build up the atmosphere needed for the laughs to work. Farrell's facial expressions are priceless and McGregor's attempts to stay afloat, while the world falls apart around him, is top-notch.

The story itself is straightforward, much like Match Point. Both brothers find themselves in trouble financially, one for gambling debts and the other for a woman (the beautiful Hayley Atwell). Only their rich uncle will

Fmovies: Cassandra's Dream is the title of the sailboat two brothers Terry and Ian buy.Life looks good.But it won't for long.Terry loses a lot of money in gambling.Ian instead needs money for investing in hotels in California to impress his new actress girlfriend Angela Stark.They have a chance of getting some money from their uncle Howard-but they have to kill a man.Woody Allen meets Dostoyevsky, once again in Cassandra's Dream (2007).You commit a crime and you feel guilt over it.Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell make a great team in the lead.Colin as Terry portrays his feeling of guilt in a great way.Tom Wilkinson gives another terrific performance as Uncle Howard.Hayley Atwell is wonderful as Angela.Allen surely knows how to do it.He can come up with these great stories and characters.Let's hope in the future as well.

In London, the loser brothers from a working-class family, Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell), buy a second-hand sailboat name Cassandra's Dream for their leisure. Ian poses of big shot and has big dreams, saving money to invest in two hotels in California while the unstable Terry is an alcoholic gambler addicted in pills and mechanic. When Terry loses a great amount in a card game, Ian lends his savings to pay part of the sum Terry owes to loan sharks. When their wealthy uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) arrives in London coming from China, the brothers see the chance to borrow the money they need to quit the debt with the loan sharks and to invest in the hotel. However, Howard asks them to get rid of his former associated Martin Burns (Phil Davis) that is threatening him and his businesses. Ian and Terry have to decide whether they shall cross the line and help family or face the lack the money to resolve their issues.

"Cassandra's Dream" is a tragic thriller where the plot point is the moral decision of two simple but honest brothers whether they should cross the line, commit murder and live with that later. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor have great performances and their characters are perfectly developed; Hayley Atwell is extremely gorgeous. However, Martin Burns is not well-developed, maybe intentionally by the writer and director Woody Allen, to keep a distance from the viewer the same way Ian and Terry do in the story. The tension in the plot is limited, actually prevailing the dramatic moral fight of Terry and Ian later in this engaging movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Sonho de Cassandra" ("The Cassandra's Dream")

Cassandra's Dream fmovies. The writing in this film is brilliant, I think. Although you kinda know whats gonna happen next it never gets boring. It's really a very sad story for those involved, that deals with death and betrayal, but as a spectator you cant help but laugh at it. With worse actors the comical message would probably not reach the audience, but these people really does a good job. Ewan McGregor I've always trusted and he really delivers what in my eyes is his best performance up to date. Colin Farrell on the other hand isn't an actor I've believed in but he surprised me and is really convincing, and funny, especially when he turns into a nervous wreck.

Iam in the unique position of not having seen any of Woodys previous work before seeing this film. Unlike fans of Woody Allen, I can't see anything bad about this film. It's good entertainment, the best movie I've seen at the cinema this year, if anything it makes me wanna see more of Woodys films.

This film is about two brothers having to resort to criminal means in order to get funds to pay off loans and to pursue dreams.

Continuing with Woody Allen's infatuation with Britain, "Cassandra's Dream" is set in Britain with a predominantly British cast. Ewan McGregor is a rising star with great plans for the future, while Colin Farrell is a messed up guy who drinks and gambles excessively. Both of these brothers are convincingly introduced and portrayed. Their bond with each other, their past childhood, hopes and dreams are presented, making them very believable and real as people. When they are faced with a moral dilemma, the role seems to be reversed. As a result of this well written and executed plot, I find this film engaging and suspenseful.

I particularly like the moral struggle, and the contrast between the two brothers that play against their stereotype. Colin Farrell is particularly great in this film, his portrayal of a depressed person is convincing and moving.

It is also striking that Woody Allen has very much toned down the paranoia in "Cassandra's Dream". I miss the comedic paranoia such as "Anything Else". However, "Cassandra's Dream" is still very much a Woody Allen film, with the same witty and crisp dialogs, and right to the point scenes.

I find "Cassandra's Dream" very entertaining and gripping.

It seems that there has been developed a certain trend among the majority of critics and even Allen's fans regarding his work of the 1990 - 2000+ period. With every new movie he's made there are complains that Woody lost it and would never create anything as great as some of his best films of the 70s and 80s. It is a good thing that Allen does not seem to care and keeps releasing year after year the films that are still among the best the industry has to offer. I've seen every picture Allen has made, and I said in one of my reviews, "Woody Allen makes good, very good, and great movies". Even if I don't love all his movies equally, they are all good, there is something (often - a lot) to enjoy in every single one. His latest, "Cassandra's Dream" is not an exception. This is a tale of two London brothers, Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell), who are good friends and have been very close since their childhood. At one fateful moment of their lives they both would face an inevitable choice of how far they would go to get what they want and what price they would pay. I found both McGregor and Farrell terrific and they had a very believable chemistry together. Tom Wilkinson, as the successful and wealthy American uncle/Mephistopolis who seduces the nephews with a terrifying yet promising offer is wonderful as always. I happened to read a few critical reviews before I watched the film and after I finished it, I couldn't help thinking if it was the same movie we saw? Yes, once again, Allen meditates on the eternal subject of Crime and Punishment and he comes up with the superb script, confident directing, and as a result - a gripping and thrilling film that is as much a crime movie as it is about family values, loyalty, choices, doubt, guilt, and regrets. The film is beautifully shot by great Vilmos Zsigmond (McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, The Black Dahlia, Images, The Long Goodbye, and Melinda and Melinda}, and the original dramatic unsettling score is composed by Philip Glass. As you can see, there is a lot to enjoy in the Allen's movie of 2007 which I see as one of the best of the last year. I personally can't wait for the next Allen's project to be released, the new film set in Barcelona.