The brothers' nightmare

Cassandra’s Dream, written and directed by Woody Allen

***1/2 (out of 4)

Woody Allen has made so many great films over the years that critics often unfairly judge his latest film against his very best films. Cassandra’s Dream is not in the same league as Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors or even the excellent Match Point. It is however, a tightly constructed and superbly acted thriller in the vein of a Greek tragedy set in south London.

Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrel) are two 20-something Cockney brothers that can never seem to get a big financial break in their lives. Ian works at his father’s (John Benfield) restaurant but his aim to invest in several hotels in California that he believes is a can’t-miss opportunity. Additionally, Ian falls for a beautiful and highly-ambitious and aspiring actress in Angela (Hayley Atwell) and he longs to move to California with her.

Terry is a chain-smoking, heavy drinking mechanic that makes just enough money at a local garage to live somewhat comfortably and happily with his girlfriend Kate (Sally Hawkins). He enjoys simple things in life like betting on dog races, playing poker and fixing up a boat (aptly named “Cassandra’s Dream” after a winning dog) he bought with his brother. Terry’s plan is to win enough money at high-stakes poker to purchase a house, but instead he ends up losing enough money to fall into serious debt.

The brothers are presented with a life-changing proposition when their wealthy Uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) visits them. Howard, as the brothers call him, has helped out the family in the past and he listens to their problems with great concern. He agrees to help them only if they will murder a colleague of his who has evidence of Howard’s financial wrong doings that would put him jail for the rest of his life. The brothers must decide whether achieving their dreams is more important than immorality of committing murder.

Woody gets fine performances from Farrel and McGregor who have work well off each other. McGregor’s brother is the more ambitious of the two and conveys a sense of moral ambiguity. This works well with Farrel’s character who is much more sensitive and conscious of right and wrong. Farrel arguably turns in his best performance since Minority Report.

The supporting performances are very good with the always-reliable Wilkinson delivering a superior performance as the wealthy libertine uncle with suspect business ethics. Atwell is a relative newcomer to motion pictures and she is very good as Angela, the sexy, determined and challenging girlfriend of Ian. The score by iconic New York composer Philip Glass effectively contributes to the dark and ominous nature of the Greek tragedy-like nature of Cassandra’s Dream.

Woody stays true to his trademark clean directorial style as there is no superfluous cutting and there are longer takes than most films these days. As usual his screenplay is top notch as he deftly builds drama, tension and suspense to a feverish level culminating in an ending that is somewhat abrupt (I wanted the film to develop further), yet is the result of a cleverly disguised foreshadowing early in the film. The British-funded Cassandra’s Dream may not be a top-tier Woody Allen film, but a second-tier Woody film is better than most films produced in Hollywood these days.