Match Point (2005)

This was a great movie. There were so many heavy elements involved; Jealous, lust, mystery, and murder. For anyone who loves The Talented Mr. Ripley, this is a movie for you; not to give away the story line (it’s not identical to Ripley either). I really enjoyed this film, particularly because my loyalties during the film changed characters. At first I was sympathetic toward Scarlett Johansson, but then I change my mind to Rhys-Meyers, then to Emily Mortimer and it didn’t stop there. I like movies that challenge me to question which character is being victimized, and which character is evil in the end. At the end of the film there is not question who the evil character is, ya gotta watch it to find out though!

Johansson’s character reminded me of the character Christina Ricci played in a previous Woody Allen film, Anything Else. She’s an obnoxiously, self-righteous person, who is able to capture the attention of any man weak enough to succumb to her will. For the supporting characters, they did a good job at creating an ensemble-cast atmosphere. Scenes with the characters in a group had great chemistry, the audience feels as if they have a natural good rapport together, rather than a fabricated performative attachment to one another.

The cinematography was also good. It is like all other Woody Allen films I have seen. That’s a good thing.

What I liked about the film overall, is that it was not self-consciously neurotic like other films sorry. Sorry that I am constantly comparing this film to previous Woody Allen films, but it seems appropriate since Match Point proves to divert in some ways away from most of his other films.

For the general movie enjoyer, this is a movie definitely worth checking it. It does not fail to keep your attention.