Haggisboy
25-04-2006, 03:27 AM
At no time during viewing of Match Point does the viewer get any indication that this is a Woody Allen film. Far from his comedic forays, the film is a focused, captivating romantic thriller that the viewer must watch from the first to last frame in order to fully appreciate.
Allen, who both directed and wrote the screenplay, eschews his usual New York haunts in exchange for London, setting it against a backdrop of a young, ambitious, upwardly mobile gentry that places more value upon social status and money than actual happiness.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Chris Wilton, an ambitious Irish émigré constantly on the lookout for an opportunity to move up the social ladder. During a stint as a tennis pro at a swanky London club, he befriends Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) and through him is introduced to his sister Chloe (played by Emily Mortimer of Dear Frankie fame). Romance quickly ensues, as do wedding plans. Everything gets turned upside down, however, when Chris stumbles across buddy Tom’s stunning fiancé Nola (played with seductive finesse by Scarlett Johansson, the only American among the cast). It’s all downhill for the characters from there as a secretive and volatile romantic tryst ensues.
Allen’s screenplay, much like his direction, is smooth, well crafted and displays the many talents of a veteran filmmaker at the peak of his craft.
Laden with clever twists and turns, Match Point will keep you riveted from beginning to end, and leave you pondering the role that luck can play in life.
Allen, who both directed and wrote the screenplay, eschews his usual New York haunts in exchange for London, setting it against a backdrop of a young, ambitious, upwardly mobile gentry that places more value upon social status and money than actual happiness.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Chris Wilton, an ambitious Irish émigré constantly on the lookout for an opportunity to move up the social ladder. During a stint as a tennis pro at a swanky London club, he befriends Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) and through him is introduced to his sister Chloe (played by Emily Mortimer of Dear Frankie fame). Romance quickly ensues, as do wedding plans. Everything gets turned upside down, however, when Chris stumbles across buddy Tom’s stunning fiancé Nola (played with seductive finesse by Scarlett Johansson, the only American among the cast). It’s all downhill for the characters from there as a secretive and volatile romantic tryst ensues.
Allen’s screenplay, much like his direction, is smooth, well crafted and displays the many talents of a veteran filmmaker at the peak of his craft.
Laden with clever twists and turns, Match Point will keep you riveted from beginning to end, and leave you pondering the role that luck can play in life.