Cassandra's Dream

***1/2

Whenever he turns to drama, Woody Allen always seems to wind up
channeling either Ingmar Bergman ("Interiors," "September") or Fyodor
Dostoevsky ("Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Match Point"). "Cassandra's
Dream" finds him in one of his Dostoevsky moods (with traces of
Hitchcock thrown in for good measure), once again making the case that it is
both impossibly difficult and ridiculously easy for the common man to
engage in cold-blooded murder.

Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor star as two working-class brothers who
have fallen onto financial hard times (one is a compulsive gambler, the
other a frustrated cipher with dreams of rising above his station both
economically and romantically). Desperate for some immediate cash, they
reluctantly agree to knock off one of their wealthy uncle's business
rivals who has some secret knowledge that, if it ever got out, could
send the old man up the river for a very long time.

Set in London, "Cassandra's Dream" is not as sharp and cutting as some
of Allen's previous works in this genre, but thanks to strong
performances by Farrell, McGregor and Tom Wilkinson as the uncle, this
latest update of the Loepold-and-Loeb story manages to keep our
interest most of the way. The themes, which have been played out in
literature and movies for what seems like eons now, understandably feel
a trifle old-hat at this late stage in the game, but Allen's generally sharp dialogue,
canny insights into human nature, and smooth direction help to freshen
them up a bit.

It may not be Allen at his finest, but the ancillary rewards of script and acting make the
film well worth seeing.

A few years ago, you may remember, Colin Farrell was touted as a hot young up-and-comer...a great actor with great looks. Someone who would be a movie star at any moment. Farrell then proceeded to "star" in a number of movies that the public was not interested in, such as THE NEW WORLD, ALEXANDER and THE RECRUIT. The soul-less MIAMI VICE was the bottom. It made some money, but Farrell was so uninteresting in it (and seemed so uninterested)...his moment of glory was done.

A few years ago, you may remember Ewan McGregor was a hot young up-and-coming star, after turning on critics with TRAINSPOTTING and striking a chord with Americans in a one-episode appearance on the smash hit TV show "ER." He was about to be a star. Well, he too starred in some movies no one wanted to see, such as DOWN WITH LOVE and STAY (although his natural charm and charisma never let him look bored.) He was arguably the best thing in the new STAR WARS movies, but he got lost in all the hand-wringing over how bad they were. His star faded.

For many years, in good movies and bad, Woody Allen has written great roles for women, including Oscar winning and nominated parts great and small. Have Diane Keaton, Mia Farrow, Judy Davis, Dianne Wiest, etc. ever been better than when working with Woody? But his star faded too. Each year, he churned out another clunker (MELINDA AND MELINDA, ANYTHING ELSE?). He still had big roles for women, but no one cared that Tea Leoni gave a tart performance in HOLLYWOOD ENDING.

A couple of years ago, Allen turned his attention to London, and suddenly there appeared MATCH POINT, his best movie in years. Emily Mortimer and Scarlett Johanssen gave highly praised performances...but I couldn't help noticing that the best performance came from Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. The next year, in London again, came the minor comedy SCOOP, which at least managed to be more funny than some of his more recent work. Johanssen again was okay, but ironically it was Allen's most amusing acting in awhile. And then came CASSANDRA'S DREAM.

There are women in this film, and they are all quite okay. But this is an ACTOR'S film...and suddenly we are reminded that Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor are actually capable of truly moving performances, complex, flesh-out, lived-in and believable. They are not afraid to play genuinely flawed people. Allen has given them lots of rich dialogue to work with, and they RIP into it with gusto.

They play brothers who are always a bit down on their luck. McGregor works in his father's restaurant, but dreams of "making it big" with some sort of get rich quick scheme or another. He clearly has no head for business, but he wants to be rich, move to California and show off. He also wants to impress a beautiful actress he's in love with who he's made THINK he's all these things. Farrell is a mechanic who spends most of his time winning at gambling and even more of it losing. Both brothers are clearly addicted to the idea of fast, easy money...even if they recognize that these desires are flawed.

Both of them find themselves needing more money than they can possibly lay their hands on. And into their lives comes their very rich uncle (Tom Wilkinson...oozing easy menace in a way that Sidney Pollack would have done in an American film.) He wants to help them...but in return they must do something for him that is pretty horrible to contemplate.

Will they compromise their morals? If they do, will they be able to live with what they've done? Will money bring them happiness?

Allen has grappled with these themes before, and there's not really any new moral territory being explored. But the London setting has finally freed Allen's writing from sounding just like a film by...Woody Allen. McGregor and Farrell bring their own cadence to the dialogue, and they have both dug deep into their portrayals...so they sound like real people and not just Allen concoctions.

The movie builds some real tension. As the brothers face what they are considering doing, we truly feel some of the tension they do. We are sometimes appalled by them, but we always root for them. Neither of these actors would have expected to be renewed as movie stars with this film...but they saw a chance to renew their stature as actors. And both men succeed very well indeed. (And Farrell went on next to the superior, totaling gripping IN BRUGES...one of my favorite movies of 2008.)
The story comes to a rushed and disappointing conclusion...clearly grabbing to come off as Greek tragedy but most seeming lazy...as though Allen just didn't know how to wrap it all up. No one else in the film matches Farrell and McGregor for intensity of acting or clarity of characterization. Thus, this is a flawed film...but it's always interesting and it is more than redeemed by two outstanding performances.

It's a Woody Allen film (like MATCH POINT) that I would actually recommend to thoughtful adults who generally don't like Woody Allen. THAT is a rarity.

Colin Farrell and Ewan MacGregor turn in stellar performances as brothers in "Cassandra's Dream," a stark tragedy which demands that its protagonists choose between loyalty to family and the right thing to do; and because of their respective failings, they become enmeshed in a net from which there is no escape.

It is clear that Woody Allen is not out to please the average movie-goer (nor should he necessarily), because throughout the film he alludes to Greek tragedy in general. By beginning slowly--perhaps a bit too slowly--and then tightening the screws of the plot, Allen takes his characters to the critical moment where they have a choice, and then, after a final twist when they pass the point-of-no-return, he begins to loosen his grip on the plot as the action unwinds to its logical, but ironic conclusion.

Allen also alludes specifically Aeschylus' "Oresteia"--the tragedy of murder within the family; blood-begetting-blood; and its resultant guilt and madness. The very title, "Cassandra's Dream," alludes to Aeschylus' drama; for in a state of madness, Cassandra--with the gift of prophecy that no one believes--foretells the murders that are about to take place within the house. In a similar manner, Allen's opening and closing camera shots that focus on the boat named "Cassandra's Dream," both foreshadow and look back on murder for which the viewer, like the Greek chorus, is unprepared.

This is not Allen's only subtle use of irony in the context of tragedy: In mid-film, when the aspiring actress, who is in love with one of the brothers, meets a serious theatre director, who confides that Euripides' "Medea" is his favorite tragedy, she betrays her lack of theatrical gravitas by replying that yes, Clytemnestra is her favorite character. Since Clytemnestra is not in "Medea" but in the "Oresteia," Allen indicates that she will likely not get the part and the opportunity which she so desperately craves.

"Cassandra's Dream" is a difficult film to watch, but then so is Aeschylus' "Oresteia," the only difference being that the latter tale of murder, set in ancient Argos, offers the theatre-goer the comfortable distance of some two-and-a-half millennia, while the former, set in modern-day London, is too close for comfort.

Very well acted and beautifully shot, "Cassandra's Dream" is certainly worth the time of anyone who enjoys a good drama. I particularly enjoyed Philip Glass' moody score and Colin Farrell's skillful turn as the guilt-ridden brother who can't live with the crime he and his sibling commit for monetary gain. Colin, by the way, is clearly the "good" brother here (or, at least, the less bad one), and only considers the crime because he needs to pay off loan sharks, not because he wants to make some easy money, which is closer to the motivation of the brother chillingly played by Ewan McGregor.

If there's a slight downside to the story, it's the predictability of the message: crime doesn't pay. Other Woody Allen movies have you walking out of the theater debating the actions and decisions of the central characters. In this one there's nothing to debate. Two brothers cross the line and everything soon spirals downward for them. Still absolutely worth seeing, just not a heck of a lot to talk about afterward.

The DVD features a print that looks absolutely wonderful, sharp with rich colors. I can't imagine that even a Blu-Ray version could look much better. Aside from a few previews, there are no extras on the DVD. But that's nothing new for Woody, who likes his movies to speak for themselves.

How Woody Allen ever got 2 of HollyWood's finest actors Ewan M & Colin F to be in another one of his boooorring movies Cassandra's Dream is beyond one's imagination. Since Ewan and Colin are originally from overseas no one told them that Allen's directing days died decades ago. It was actually once meant a big deal if Allen picked you for one of his films. Now all his films are known as "BOX OFFICE POISON HITS" made for his ever dwindling followers. Bad Movie Woody, please retire and do not try to destroy any more actors' careers.