Woody Allen returned to artistic prominence with the 2005 thriller “Match Point.”
But the nebbishy auteur already mined similar material with 1989’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” Allen’s best black comedy.
The film lacked the warmth of “Hannah and Her Sisters,” but it remains Allen’s second-best film from the ’80s – with apologies to the pure delight that was “Broadway Danny Rose.”
The multiple character dramedy follows Judah (Martin Landau), a thriving eye doctor with a problem for which there is no cure. His erratic mistress (Anjelica Huston in a gloriously one-note performance) is about to share the details of their affair with his wife.
Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker Cliff (Allen) stands at a career crisis. Should he take an assignment filming his blowhard brother in law (Alan Alda), a famed TV producer, or keep cranking out pictures that no one sees for very little money?
Those stories don’t directly intertwine until the last few scenes, but the ethical questions at play couldn’t be more correlated in Allen’s eyes.
Judah must decide if he will hire some thugs to take care of his mistress – permanently. And Cliff isn’t sure whether he should stay with his wife (Joanna Gleason) or strike up a romance with a comely producer (Mia Farrow).
Allen uses humor, literary name drops and just about every other trick in his limited but still potent arsenal to set the moral table. He’s aided by great turns all around, especially from Landau who makes Judah an easy to understand monster.
Allen is Allen, but he’s written himself some juicy laugh lines that don’t overstep the character – or the bigger themes at play.
“Crimes and Misdemeanors” is first-rate Allen – a vibrant meditation on morality and how it often doesn’t fit so snugly with societal norms.
(Photo: Woody Allen plays a documentary filmmaker with an eye for a fellow TV talent, played by Mia Farrow, in “Crimes and Misdemeanors.”)
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Easily Woody’s best film, and probably Martin Landau’s best performance. We can practically taste his desperation, as he tries to keep his mistress from ruining his life without losing his soul in the process.
My enthusiasm for Match Point was somewhat dampened, because it was basically the same plot as Crimes & Misdemeanors transported to London, with younger actors.
I’m surprised so many critics fell in love with Match Point when it was warmed over Crimes and Misdemeanors.
That said, critics love to love Woody Allen. Period. And they cut him plenty of slack.