esrosedotblog

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

Crimes and Misdemeanors was today's movie. Woody Allen wrote and directed this serious/funny two plot film and it is quite a lot of fun to watch the serious side (crime, on the left) unfold while the comic (misdemeanor, on the right) trots along beside it.

I can't say much about it or it will be a spoiler, but there is a connection between the two stories and, of course, it is not revealed until the end.

There are a lot of great actors in this. Angelica Huston is riveting. Martin Landau and Jerry Ohrbach are brothers, one goody two shoes and the other the black sheep. They are uncannily matched in looks. Claire Bloom does not have a lot to do. Allen uses himself sparely for a change and is hilarious as well as deeply sad.

There are, as usual in Allen films, superb performances from small character role actors. These bits, in fact, illuminate the film and fill in the underpinnings of the moral argument. Yes. There is a moral argument. God also stars as well as the archtypical jewish family elaborating on the moral dilemmas. It is a great film.

I will give it a 5 out of Netflix5.