Colin Farrell is the highlight of the film.
I just saw Woody Allen's latest movie at the Toronto Film Festival. Any who watch this expecting a flat-out comedy are likely to be disappointed. The movie is far more dramatic than comedic. Essentially, the movie is about two brothers who decide to commit a murder, one to get himself out of debt, the other to help his brother and also for his own monetary profit. Woody involves us in their thoughts in deciding to do it, during the murder and afterwards. I found it psychologically believable and found myself very involved with the story. If anything is weak it's the ending. It's simply too abrupt and unemotional. Woody has made us care about these two brothers and then ends it suddenly with no sense of grief (except for a brief shot of one of the brother's fiancé). Colin Farrell in incredible and is the highlight of the movie. Whatever real humour comes from his character. You feel for his moral struggle which is of comedic proportions. He delivers the best line in the movie when the two brothers are hiding in a car waiting to kill their intended victim as he visits his mother. When they finally see him walking to the house Colin's character says to his brother (Ewan McGregor) as he starts to get out of the car to shoot him "Let him visit his mother one last time."I should add, I saw this movie the second night it played and not at the premier. The audience I was with was reacting to this movie as if it was a black-comedy. However they were also laughing at anything that moved. But if they were right and I'm wrong and this was intended as a comedy I'm not sure it's very successful. I have to think that if Woody meant to make a black comedy it would have been far funnier.
As a drama with comedy elements I would heartily recommend it.
score 8/10
doug-697 12 September 2007
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1729124/35554
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