He saw me across the room and he homed in on me like a guided missile.

Match Point

This could be a turning point for Woody Allen. Originally to be set in his beloved New York, he up and left for London when finacing fell through. It seems as though the change has done him good as it invariably becomes his most compelling film since, well since probably Crimes and Misdemeanors over fifteen years ago. Beginning as a typical Allenesque love triangle (quadrangle?) and in turns in the final act to something much darker, much more twisted while still staying true to the them of the movie which is set up brilliantly in the opening shot as a tennis ball lazily moves back and forth across a net. C'mon, who'd have the balls (pun intended) to open their movie and blantantly tell you what the movie is about? But it's much more than that. The cast is uniformly excellent. Jonathan Rhys Meyers initially frightened me in some early scenes with what appeared to be an amateurish performance. But he soon settled down and I am now wondering if maybe it was intentional to create a nervousness to the character. All of the English actors are spot on, with Brian Cox as solid as ever, and my personal favorite performances come from Matthew Goode as Tom, the fiancee and Ewen Bremmer and James Newsbitt as the cops. Scarlet Johannsen is as radiant as always and it's no surprise that she's in Woody's next flick as well. He loves the young ladies and seems to have found his perfect muse. Whether this film means a renewed spring in Woody's step and a change of direction remains to be seen, although I am hopeful.