Cassandra's Dream (2007)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Colin Farrell and Tom Wilkinson act up a storm in Cassandra's Dream, but Woody Allen's heavy-handed symbolism and foreshadowing drains the plot of all tension.
Cassandra's Dream Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Ian
as Terry
as Angela Stark
as Kate
as Howard
as Martin Burns
as Poker Player
as Father
as Boat Owner
as Mother
as Boat Owner
as Lucy
as Lucy
as Jerry
as Terry's Track Mate
as Mel
as Mel
as Fred
as Director
as Helen
as Mike
as Estate Agent
as Estate Agent
as Dora
as Bernard
as Burns' Mother
as Burns' Date
as Angela's Mother
as Angela's Father
as Jaguar Owner
as Garage Boss
as Nigel
as Eisley
as Servant
as Poker Player No.1
as Poker Player No.2
as Poker Player No.3
as Jaguar Owner
as Poker Player
as Poker Player No.5
as Nigel
as Poker Player No.6
as Poker Player No.7
as Detective No.1
as Detective No.2
News & Interviews for Cassandra's Dream
Critic Reviews for Cassandra's Dream
All Critics (117) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (64) | DVD (5)
Farrell and McGregor bring much to their roles...to make Cassandra's Dream an effective and chilling ride.
It's enough to make you pine for the good old days -- back when life was only partly ironic and Woody was totally funny.
These characters not only don't talk like working-class Londoners, they don't talk like anyone.
The problem is, you don't feel the human sweat and strain in Cassandra's Dream, despite game work from Farrell and McGregor. There are plenty of ideas and themes and no people of distinctive interest to enliven them.
Allen is notorious for not giving his actors explicit instructions, and yet somehow this worked wonders for Farrell, who has never seemed so naked, so clear and so unencumbered as he does here.
Although McGregor and Farrell produce some occasionally spirited moments, particularly in the earlier scenes, they are little more than walking and talking schemes, their choices based entirely on socioeconomic impulses.
Audience Reviews for Cassandra's Dream
If Woody Allen was trying to capture the magic of his dark crime drama Match Point once again, he sure didn't do it here. That's a shame too, because this had a lot of potential. The film follows two cash strapped brothers played by Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell who agree to kill a business associate for their wealthy uncle played by the always reliable class act Tom Wilkinson. There's also love going on as well, with Hayley Atwell being the main attraction for McGregor. Though she got major exposure later in Captain America: The First Avenger, she proves quite appealing here, too. The main plot wouldn't be so bad had this not been released around the same time as Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead- a much similar, but far superior crime thriller. Also, though the film skirts around it, it ultimately fails to live up to the hope of fully incorporating the ideas from the folklore figure Cassandra the ignored doomsayer. The film is shot extremely well, looks gorgeous, and has some great music, and, while it is fun to see the two male leads interact, none of the performers really bring their A game, and that includes Allen. The lack of heart and soul to the proceedings is quite obvious, and ultimately this comes off as less of an earnest effort and more of just something Allen made just to fulfill his pattern of releasing at least one film a year.
Super Reviewer
I have never been a fan of Woody Allen films, but the last couple that I have seen have surprised me...I can actually say that I have liked them. Hmmmm. Go figure. I have noticed, however, that fans of Woody Allen films have not. Maybe this is a new era for him. Hope so...This movie has some great acting, especially from Colin Farrell, and a decent storyline. Reminds me of a Hitchcock type of film.
Super Reviewer
I don't remember anything about this movie and I watched it about a month ago so I guess that's all that needs saying about it.
Super Reviewer
Cassandra's Dream Quotes
| Father: | What the hell do you need a boat for? And how are you gonna pay for it? |
| Ian: | It's secondhand. |
| Father: | So you're buying someone else's headaches. |