Simply Perfect

Great Film overall

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Woody Allen sticks with thrillers after the brilliant "Match Point" and good "Scoop". This doesn't measure up to either, but is decent enough nonetheless. Is very good for the most part. Allen takes his time to set the scene and sketch the characters, but it isn't boring or contrived. The story moves along smoothly and effortlessly. However, the ending felt rushed, and a bit predictable. After the slow build up, the pacing was inconsistent. Felt a bit flat, and left down, at the end, as I was expecting a more left field or symbolic ending.Good acting from Colin Farrell, especially, and Ewan McGregor.

It might have been hard for Allen to do something as good as Match Point, but even if Cassandra's Dream is not better, it is still a very enjoyable and entertaining movie. This is a Woody Allen film, no chance of being wrong with that. Just watch the way it is filmed, the beginning, the dialogues, you'll see that this is TOTALLY Woody Allen. Except that the main characters are not Woody himself and another female character, but two male characters. I guess this is not Allen's cup of tea to do that, but he did it quite successfully. Though Colin Farrell is not my favourite actor, at the opposite, I think Ewan McGregor is a much better one. But I think this film is still a very good movie even if not better than Match Point. The story stays very interesting, the actors are very good and the climax is just breathtaking, in my opinion. Another good Allen movie, keep going!

How bad is "Cassandra's Dream"? Well, the only reason I watched the whole thing was so I could write this review.What was Woody Allen trying to make here? A rom-com murder-mystery buddy-picture caper flick? As a thriller, it doesn't thrill. As a morality play, it doesn't take a moral point of view. As a study of people and relationships, the relationships felt forced, and I didn't care much about the characters anyway. At one point, as Colin Farrell is emoting for all he's worth, I thought Aha: it's supposed to be a comedy! But it wasn't that funny. And as a travelogue--as others have noted--it didn't give the viewer any sense of London. Allen's main concession to "local colour" was to make sure his main characters had accents that were almost unintelligible to American audiences.Why do brilliant comedians insist on becoming "auteurs" anyway? What's with the need to be "serious"? Good comedy is one of the reasons for living. We shouldn't look upon it as less important than drama.Philip Glass' score was one of the only things I liked about "Cassandra's Dream," and I don't like Philip Glass.Not recommended.

Woody Allen's latest foray into the thriller realm is an extremely compelling story of family ties and murder. Before the murderous game is afoot Allen spends a good deal of time setting up his characters with multiple layers and nuances.Two regular working class English brothers each hoping their rich uncle will help them out financially must first complete a murderous task. What makes this film so intense and highly suspenseful is that Woody Allen has created a pair of very believable characters in Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell). As they conptemplate the dreadful task of murdering an associate of their uncle, we are sucked right into this frightening dilemma with them. Allen's movie is so strong because it examines the daunting task and repercussions accepted by the brothers. This is not some standard Hollywood, glossed over, thriller where people are knocked off and life goes on. Woody Allen ratchets up the tension in every frame and his film is so exciting because it is so very real. McGregor and Farrell turn in some terrific performances as the two brothers. McGregor is in top form as the manipulative, deal maker. Without question Colin Farrell has turned in his most memorable performance yet. Farrell's character Terry is a very gentle soul, a complete opposite from anything he has ever played, a stellar performance that is both beautiful and tragic. Cassandra's Dream is a very entertaining film, it will make you think, it will make you squirm and it will stay with you long after you've exited the theater.