For a brief period of time, in the early 1980s, Woody Allen seemed slightly unsure of what direction his career should take: serious or funny? (He even made an entire movie about this uncertainty, "Stardust Memories"). I think "Crimes And Misdemeaors" (and also "Hannah And Her Sisters", to speak only of his 1980s movies) is what he was always really getting at; this movie is basically a drama, and yet it contains some lines funnier and cleverer than anything in, say, "To Rome With Love". It is about moral dilemmas, yet it is amoral; it is deep, yet accessible; it is relaxed and easygoing, yet self-assured and carefully planned out. The entire cast is good, but Martin Landau in particular gives a superlative performance. And Allen's choice of music is, as usual, spot-on. *** out of 4.
Review of Crimes and Misdemeanors
