Los inquebrantables

In London, the loser brothers from a working-class family, Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell), buy a second-hand sailboat name Cassandra's Dream for their leisure. Ian poses of big shot and has big dreams, saving money to invest in two hotels in California while the unstable Terry is an alcoholic gambler addicted in pills and mechanic. When Terry loses a great amount in a card game, Ian lends his savings to pay part of the sum Terry owes to loan sharks. When their wealthy uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) arrives in London coming from China, the brothers see the chance to borrow the money they need to quit the debt with the loan sharks and to invest in the hotel. However, Howard asks them to get rid of his former associated Martin Burns (Phil Davis) that is threatening him and his businesses. Ian and Terry have to decide whether they shall cross the line and help family or face the lack the money to resolve their issues.

"Cassandra's Dream" is a tragic thriller where the plot point is the moral decision of two simple but honest brothers whether they should cross the line, commit murder and live with that later. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor have great performances and their characters are perfectly developed; Hayley Atwell is extremely gorgeous. However, Martin Burns is not well-developed, maybe intentionally by the writer and director Woody Allen, to keep a distance from the viewer the same way Ian and Terry do in the story. The tension in the plot is limited, actually prevailing the dramatic moral fight of Terry and Ian later in this engaging movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Sonho de Cassandra" ("The Cassandra's Dream")

Woody Allen has a genius for creating fully fledged characters in minimum time. A few minutes into the opening scene which shows the two brothers buying a boat that they cannot afford, we already understand that theirs is a genuine, close and mutually supportive relationship – a relationship which will be severely tested later on.

Two brothers aspiring to improve their lives in very different ways: one hoping to win enough money through gambling on dogs and poker, the other through investing in restaurants and property in Los Angeles.

Two brothers who both need money for very different reasons: one to escape the clutches of loan sharks who would break his legs, the other to escape to LA with the beautiful, sophisticated woman of his dreams.

Two brothers dealing with guilt and remorse in very different ways: one suffering ever deepening mental anguish and sleepless nights, the other pragmatically shrugging off "the past" as he ambitiously plans his future.

Shot in London, with an all British cast, the standard of acting is of the highest quality. The brothers' contrasting personalities are played to perfection by Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor. Hayley Atwell (who like McGregor, also trained at the Guildhall School in London), would give Scarlett Johansson a run for her money as the sexy, sultry, siren, while Sally Hawkins shines as Farrell's homely, happy girlfriend.

With unremarkable, minimalist music from Philip Glass, matched by minimalist opening and closing credits, and editing which leaves-in scenes which should have been taken out, the film gives the impression that it was made in a hurry.

Yes, this is a film from a Woody Allen, who is not at his very best. However, at nearly 72 years of age and after writing and directing over 40 films, receiving 3 Oscars and over 77 other awards, his genius is surely entitled to a day off. This time it is the actors who carry the day.

An intriguing thing about Woody Allen's CASSANDRA'S DREAM is the presence of actor Phil Davis. The movie deals with a plot to kill Martin Burns, the character played by Davis. The character isn't particularly interesting and the reasons for wanting him dead remain mostly unclear, but, as Burns -- if you don't look too closely and from a distance -- Davis bears a vague resemblance to Woody: same thinning gray hair, prominent eyeglasses, gaunt face, skinny physique and taste in casual sport coats. The character gets precious little screen time and Davis gets very little opportunity to give Burns anything suggesting a personality, so the similarities are purely superficial -- but then, the resemblance CASSANDRA'S DREAM has to a Woody Allen movie is also vague and superficial.

It is, admittedly, unfair to criticize a filmmaker for not making a movie that fits neatly into a previously constructed mold, to try to do something different. And Woody has two established styles -- absurdist comedy and dark, oh-so serious melodrama. In his prolific career he has managed to run the gamut between the extremes, occasionally mixing tones, yet still creating films that have a distinctly "Woody Allen" quality. But, as was the case with the equally banal (and vastly overrated) MATCH POINT, the problem with CASSANDRA'S DREAM is that it is not only devoid of Woody's style, but of any style. As always, the film is technically proficient and slickly done, but there is a coldness, a lack of purpose behind CASSANDRA. Like many of his films, it is essentially a dramatized short story, but it lacks either his rambling, cynical sense of humor or a pointed moral that makes its serious tone have a bite. Even his tired trademark rant about the futility of life due to the absence of a benevolent god is given only slight attention.

The story is relatively simple: In London, two close, working-class brothers find themselves strapped for cash and seek to borrow money from their wealthy uncle. Uncle Howard is more than willing to oblige, but there is a catch; the boys have to earn the money by killing one of Uncle's business associates, the aforementioned Mr. Burns. From there, the story could go in two directions: a comedy of errors as the two hapless amateurs try to commit the crime or a suspenseful drama as the two get drawn deeper and deeper into a dark world that neither wants nor is prepared for. Allen takes the story in the latter direction, though unfortunately, as he has shown previously, he has no skill for creating suspense or directing scenes of violence.

CASSANDRA'S DREAM isn't a bad movie, but rather an inadequate one -- or more accurately, an incomplete one. The performances are just fine, with Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell as the brothers, Ian and Terry, doing their best to flesh out thinly drawn characters. Indeed, the actors could easily carry the material were it not for the weakness of Allen's poorly contrived narrative. Even accepting as a given that Ian and Terry are amateurs, their plan to kill Burns is embarrassingly simple-minded and illogical: If Uncle Howard is the one most likely to want Burns dead, wouldn't his poor nephews' sudden display of unaccountable wealth seem suspiciously convenient? The story needs to be fleshed out with believable complications and should build to an ironic twist that delivers a bang and not a mere whimper.

The screenplay that Allen offers is not without its merits. The two men played by McGregor and Farrell, are basically decent blokes, but their need for money and the way Uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) manipulates them to go bad in the name of family loyalty pushes them to rationalize their behavior. Further, Ian is ambitious and Terry is a gambler, and Allen subtly defines Uncle Howard as an ambitious gambler in his own right. But, the story also shows that Ian and Terry have parallels to Burns as well, similarities the script would have done better to explore with much greater interest. As is, the battle between good and evil as Allen lays it out is exceedingly lame; the "we-can't-do-this / we-have-to-do-this" dialogue is not backed up -- or hyped up -- with any dramatic tension. When the boys actually meet Burns and they (and we) find him to be a nice, friendly man who seems undeserving of his fate, the dramatic tension should be kicked up a notch. We are barely allowed to care for Terry and Ian to the point where we don't want them to commit the crime, but we should certainly care as well whether their innocent victim dies. As in MATCH POINT and CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (and to some degree even MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY), Allen can't seem to muster up much interest, let alone sympathy, for the victims of the crimes he concocts. A recurring theme in so many of his films is characters who rant and rave about how unjust and cruel our supposedly godless world is, yet when Woody creates little worlds for his movies, the god he plays isn't any more compassionate or caring. What's missing -- and I know it is a tired complaint -- is Woody's sharp wit that not only blesses his best characters with the quirks and charm that make them humorous, but humane as well. When Woody defines his characters through wit, they come alive; when he defines them by their bitterness and discontent, they remain stagnant and uninteresting, and worse, largely one-dimensional. All of Woody's laborious moralizing dialogue never has as much power as one of his well constructed pieces of casual sarcasm.

This film is about two brothers having to resort to criminal means in order to get funds to pay off loans and to pursue dreams.

Continuing with Woody Allen's infatuation with Britain, "Cassandra's Dream" is set in Britain with a predominantly British cast. Ewan McGregor is a rising star with great plans for the future, while Colin Farrell is a messed up guy who drinks and gambles excessively. Both of these brothers are convincingly introduced and portrayed. Their bond with each other, their past childhood, hopes and dreams are presented, making them very believable and real as people. When they are faced with a moral dilemma, the role seems to be reversed. As a result of this well written and executed plot, I find this film engaging and suspenseful.

I particularly like the moral struggle, and the contrast between the two brothers that play against their stereotype. Colin Farrell is particularly great in this film, his portrayal of a depressed person is convincing and moving.

It is also striking that Woody Allen has very much toned down the paranoia in "Cassandra's Dream". I miss the comedic paranoia such as "Anything Else". However, "Cassandra's Dream" is still very much a Woody Allen film, with the same witty and crisp dialogs, and right to the point scenes.

I find "Cassandra's Dream" very entertaining and gripping.

Crime and punishment in a modern, anonymous London. Two perfectly matched, mismatched brothers. Yachts that cannot afford, dreams of Hotels in California and an everyday of losing and losing. An opportunity with a huge catch attached to it and, of course, the inexorable is waiting. Crisp, fast dialogue. Excellent performances by Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrel as the brothers, an outstanding bit by Clare Higgins as the mother and the ubiquitous Tom Wilkinson as the rich uncle from America. There is something endearing about the dimness of the two brothers and we follow their predicament appalled and entertained. The ending feels a bit rushed. I longed to be part of those final instants just to catch a glimpse of that ultimate decision. A morality tale from Woody Allen, what next?