Cassandra's Dream

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The third of his English 'trilogy' after Match Point and Scoop, Cassandra's Dream is Allen at his most simplistic, with directing style (looking a little like a low-budget Stephen Frears movie) and complicated storylines jettisoned. Farrell and McGregor are two brothers in a bit of bother: Farrell's alcoholic Terry is a mechanic with a gambling problem and owes a nifty sum to loan sharks, while flashy McGregor's hotel investment needs a hefty financial input, and fast. In steps rich uncle Howard (Wilkinson), who's in a bit of bother himself - his shady dealings have caught up with him and he's in danger of serious jail time, unless the two brothers can 'take care' of a business partner who's decided to speak out. The two brothers weigh up the pros and cons and decide to carry out the murder, but the secret becomes too much to bear... The title refers to the boat the two brothers buy when the film opens and the Greek tragedy that saw the mythical Cassandra's warnings of impending doom go unheeded; we know that this will end badly for all concerned, and the fun is in watching it all unfold. Scoop got the bad reviews that the terrible Match Point should have got and, judging by some critical reaction of this film Stateside, there still seems to be enough of a hangover to dog his new venture. Allen has been off the boil for a while now, and needs a hit sharpish - but Cassandra's Dream, which is a fine film, won't be it. The performances are fine, with Farrell delivering the best on show as one half of a believable brotherly partnership. The major problem with Cassandra's Dream are two-fold: Allen is content to stick in second gear when this sometime-monotonous plot needed a jumpstart, and his ending is far too abrupt, leaving the viewer in a state of limbo and, later, a feeling of being gypped out of decent finale. Cassandra's Dream is okay, but far from Woody's best.