Match Point (12A)

Having found too many of Woody Allen's latest offerings rather indulgent and forced it appears that the decision to make a film entirely outside New York for the first time has served to revitalise him. Allen replaces Manhattan with London, his beloved jazz with opera, and although there are touches of his brand of neurosis-led comedy, the driving force of Match Point is an engrossing, disturbing tale of ambition and temptation. All change then, and change for the better. I believe a sign of a good film is one that stays with you. This certainly does.

The film opens with intent, stating its theme: whether it's better to be lucky than good and Allen manages to explore this issue with intelligence and insight. In the characters of the film we certainly see a fair share of the lucky few of London's elite Upper Class; a world of art-galleries and operas, exclusive bars and restaurants, country estates and luxurious Thames-side apartments. Into this jolly set-up arrives the film's protagonist Chris Wilton (Jonathon Rhys Meyers), tennis pro who is fortunate to fall in with the vastly wealthy Hewett family. He becomes best friends with the brother Tom (Matthew Goode), marries the sister (Emily Mortimer) having charmed the Mother (Penelope Wilton) and is given a lucrative job by the Father (Brian Cox). All rather neat and very lucky except for the fact that along the way he develops an overriding obsession for Tom's seductive American fiancé, Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) which threatens to ruin everything.

Apart from a wrong chord being struck occasionally, the acting is as realistic as the script demands and Allen has coaxed subtle performances from all his cast. The Hewett family banter is extremely funny and special mention must go to Matthew Goode, who is charming and foppish throughout. In the lead Jonathon Rhys-Meyers is excellent as a character who is at once assertive, lost, brooding and charming. Emily Mortimer and Scarlet Johansson both provide layered and mature performances as polar opposites: Mortimer being the home-girl who is desperate for a family, Johansson providing the allure and glamour. What makes the three main performances particularly strong is how, as a member of the audience, they manage to constantly manipulate your alliances. Johansson ranges from beautiful temptress to annoying hanger-on; one minute you like Rhys-Meyers and empathise with him, the next his callousness leaves you cold.

This dextrous layering of the characters is also mirrored in the skilfully crafted plot. Right up until the credits you are never sure of the outcome: something extremely refreshing in the current cinematic climate. My only notable criticism, albeit a small one, is that towards the end of the film it veered towards the melodramatic for a few indulgent scenes before it regained itself. Through allusions to literature, opera, a cleverly-structured plot and an incisive script Match Point really is a film with thought-provoking depth. New York might feel betrayed, because London looks as though it could be Allen's new muse.

Will Robson