Match Point

Woody Allen’s first UK film and his 40th over all, Match Point promised to be a welcome return to form mostly lost since Crimes and Misdemeanours in 1989. But, for British reviewers at least, the movie has proved to be disappointing, described as laboured, unconvincing and a misfire. Centering on the world of tennis obviously, but also opera, the movie’s London setting is definitely not Allen’s Manhattan. A tight, noirish plot and moral vacuousness indicate that this is a movie in tune with the darker side of Allen’s genius. However American reviewers are much more disposed to declare this among Allen’s best. With fine performances from Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson and Emily Mortimer.