Wednesday, 9 October 2013

150W: Crimes and Misdemeanours

Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films...


Crimes and Misdemeanours (Dir. Woody Allen/1989)

Two stories; two marriages; linked by a final, fleeting moment. Esteemed ophthalmologist Judah (Landau) has trouble managing his mistress (Huston) as she threatens to destroy his family by revealing their affair to his wife (Bloom). Contrasting with this, with his marriage falling apart, filmmaker Clifford (Allen) is documenting the life of smug brother-in-law Lester (Alda) leading to an affair of his own with producer Halley Reed (Farrow). Not so much a comedy and more an attempt to analyse humanity as a whole, Crimes and Misdemeanours is successful in its high-brow thoughts and incisive comments on an unfair world that, according to Allen, implies that the only judgement made is how you judge yourself. Exploring morality and faith, Allen argues, if you choose to rise above faith and select your own morals than you are dictating your own happiness. Very much on form, this film lingers long after the closing credits.

Rating: 9/10

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