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Review by David DiMichele

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Woody Allen only solidifies his place in the thriller genre with his newest London gripper Cassandra's Dream. After a couple of years dabbling in the "upper-class" society, he focuses on the "lower-class" and how desperate one can get for money. Match Point a few years back really gave him a new poison potion for filmmaking. After years of making quirky love tales and over-the-top comedies, he finds himself more at home with these dark and serious tales involving tightly-knit families. Although there were a few production delays, Allen's Cassandra's Dream is well worth the wait.

The premise boils down to one simple thing: what happens when you live a life of lies. The two Blaine brothers are both in desperate need of money. Ian (Ewan McGregor) owns a little restaurant with his father, but he wants to start a business of his own. His involvement with a dashingly sexy actress named Angela (Hayley Atwell), who is something of a femme fatale, only increases his need for money. Lies of all sorts start coming out of his mouth and he even borrows a Jaguar from the garage his brother works at to drive her around in and thus impress her. His brother Terry (Colin Farrell with an accomplished London accent) is a mechanic by day and, on the down low, a gambling, pill-popping, booze-drinking addict by night. Only his brother knows of his severe gambling problem, not even his sweet caring girlfriend (Sally Hawkins) is aware of it. Yet he seems happier than Ian even though he's a degenerate gambler whose luck ranges from exceedingly good to abysmally bad. He owes loan sharks 90,000 pounds and will never be able to earn enough to pay them off.

What I loved about this film is how the two brothers want so badly to get out of the gutter and into the good life. It's such an exact character depiction that Allen puts on screen. While they are in the gutter they seem happy - as the movie opens the two brothers are ecstatic at the opportunity to buy a nice little wooden sailboat. They name it Cassandra's Dream after the dog who won a race for Terry. Yet it's the only sign of happiness we see from the two. The rest of the movie they're carrying a massive weight on their shoulders as they contemplate the offer made by their rich Uncle Howard (the great Tom Wilkinson). Family loyalty and values are what he beats into their heads, but uncle Howard turns out to be their puppet master.

Uncle Howard owns a huge array of businesses. But he built his empire on lies and cheating. Ian and Terry go to him when they need money but he offsets his offer to them by asking them to take out a fellow business partner who may know too much about his flaws and lies. The scene where he tells them this will stay with you forever. It's that good.

Unlike Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a similar film about desperate brothers, Cassandra's Dream offers Ian and Terry a tempting choice They are nice guys; although they are always conning their way to get what they need, never once did the word murder cross their minds. In the other film the two brothers are evil and they come up with the idea to kill. Woody Allen offers us two normal Joes and sets them up to see how far they will go for a good lump of money. Most of all they seem like "real" brothers - always willing to offer the other a helping hand when needed, even if they don't have the money at the time. This proves to be key to the film and shows the strong bond they have with one another.

In the end we see how each brother moves forward after they make a decision. From the middle of the film to the end is solely a study based on how they reason out the decision they will make. One can't sleep and goes on a guilt trip while the other lives life to the fullest extent. The ending is especially suitable because this film isn't focused on anyone except the two brothers. Allen spotlights Ian and Terry throughout the entire film so that when the ending comes, we don't care about anybody else's reaction. Allen puts "real life" into these characters and they do what any sane person would do, both before and after the matter is over.

Oh, the Woodman and his knuckle balls! Most movie goers will find it hard to believe that there's a movie out this early in the 2008 season that contains gripping thrills, unnerving tension, and such high wire emotion that it turns the audience inside out. You can't deny it's a good film, and maybe even a great one for that matter, just because of its early release date. We should be jumping for joy because Allen was generous enough to present us with such a good and satisfying film. You can call me a sucker for Woody Allen films, but most of all, call me a sucker for a good fulfilling film.

Film Rating: ***1/2  out of ****

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