Viewed in
2012
Formats
HDTV
Premise
Martin Landau stars as successful opthamologist who kills his mistress, but falls into a spiral of guilt. Written and directed by Woody Allen.
Loved
Introspective moments.
Disliked
Woody Allen subplot.
Thoughts
Like most Woody Allen stuff, this was thoughtful and entertaining.
What I liked best was that it was probably Allen's darkest and one of his most introspective pieces. I was really engrossed by Landau's character's path. The film somehow naturally dived into themes of religion, guilt and consequences, with fascinating debates from different points of views from his rabbi friend and his low-life brother. These moments were personal, never preachy, and seamlessly integrated into the story.
For my generation, it was very amusing to see young-ish Landau, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda and Sam Waterston in action.
While I greatly enjoyed the dynamics between these four characters, I was unfortunately not a fan of Woody Allen's subplot. I guess it's meant to be contrast with Landau's self-examination and arc, but I really didn't get the purpose of his character, other than he just happened to run in the same circles. This would've been just as intriguing had it just solely focused on Landau's character.
Despite its massive flaw, Crimes and Misdemeanors was arguably Allen's second greatest film, thanks to the main plot and exploration into the dark psyche of men. I always thought Martin Landau's performance in Ed Wood was his greatest. I might have to take that back.
