PimpinAinttEasy Dear Woody Allen,Every scene of Crimes and Misdemeanors is made with so much love. You often surprised me during the indoor scenes when suddenly there would be some superb lighting in the background. You usually like to set scenes in beautiful American parks. This film is no different. The outdoor scenes are a pleasure to look at. The scene where Martin Landau visits his childhood home was spectacular, there were so many great bit players in that scene. And that scene is not the only one. You packed it in with this film, Woody. There are so many poignant and hilarious moments. You even invented this philosopher dude who mouths some awesome dialogs. This is probably your best film, even though I am partial to your work in the 60s and 70s.Two story lines parallel to each other(though the characters do meet at the end of the film). One about an upstanding ophthalmologist who gives the nod for his secret lover to be killed. The other one is about a naughty documentary filmmaker who refuses to sell out but is frustrated with the mediocrity around him and also sad about the fact that the woman he covets is increasingly attracted to the man he hates.It is an amazing achievement that you make the lives of these civilized and sophisticated characters so entertaining to audiences around the world. Good job.Best Regards, Pimpin.(9/10)

Chris L This movie is divided into two story lines : on one hand, a very lighthearted, boring, cringeworthy rom-com , and on the other a very serious drama that brings depth to the scenario, even though the pseudo intellectualism and excess of religious references can irritate some. It's hard anyway to understand this association and draw a parallel between these two quite uneven story lines that seem to have a lot in common and that, unusually for Woody Allen, are not intertwined like one would've expected. Ultimately, Crimes and Misdemeanors is not a bad movie but it clearly lacks coherence and suffers from a more than questionable mix of genre.

morrison-dylan-fan After having a fabulous watching writer/director/lead actor Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery for a poll being held on IMDb's Classic Film Board for the best titles of 1993,I decided that for the boards 1989 poll,that I would take a look at Allen's (solo) mystery from that year.The plot:Note:due to the plot mainly being in 2 different threads,I've decided to separate each of the plots out.Plot one:Spending years gathering up what little money he can in order to complete filming on his dream Avant-Garde documentary, underground movie director Cliff Stern finds himself stuck in a dead end,thanks to using up every last penny on filming,and also finding that there is no one interested in distributing his epic.Talking to his wife Wendy,Stern finds out that a multi millionaire film producing brother of hers called Lester is desperate for some one to make a documentary on him.Initially desperate to stay away from the project,Cliff eventually agrees to directing the feature,in the hope that he will get the final funds needed to complete his film.As he starts shooting Lester's ego- driven project,Stern finds himself becoming closer to a crew member on the movie called Halley Reed,which leads to Cliff wondering if he is about to get more out of this doc then he ever could have expected.Plot 2:Returning from a huge celebration to mark his success in the field of ophthalmology,Judah Rosenthal discovers a letter which has been sent by his mistress of 2 years Dolores Paley, to his wife Miriam.Hiding the letter,Judah rushes over to pay Miriam a visit,who tells Rosenthal that she sent the letter due to him having promised for over a year that he would finish his marriage to Miriam.After telling Dolores that he is unable to divorce from Miriam due to knowing how much damage it would do towards her,Judah is horrified to witness Paley going on a downward spiral,with Dolores taking increasingly desperate measures to reveal the affair to Miriam.Deciding that there is no chance of reasoning by used as a route to keep Dolores quiet,Rosenthal decides that the only choice he has left is to hire a hit-man who will keep his misdemeanor affair with Paley hidden from view.View on the film:Whilst the screenplay does feature a number of slick'n catchy one liners, (with Lester's reply to his wife over them not sleeping with each other that 'It'll be a year on April 20th.I remember the date exactly,cos it was Hitler's birthday',being a particular highlight) Allen wraps each of the jokes in spikes which help to give the movie a terrifically gloomy,Film Noir-tinged mood.Limiting the crossing over of both plot lines to the final scene,Allen superbly places the theme of self-enforced solitude at the centre of the movie,with Cliff Stern being afraid to push the barriers aside which has led to he and his wife becoming isolated with each other.Along with Stern's marriage troubles,Allen also shows Judah being unable to see how much of an outcast he is making himself by entering an affair from which Judah ends up discovering that he has no 'good' exit left for him to take.Matching the darkly comedic nature of the screenplay,Allen brilliantly uses long,isolated tracking shots to perfectly display how detached Stern and Judah have become from the other character's in the film. Complimenting the isolated tracking shots,Allen gives the outside scenes a stylish chilly appearance,which shows the cold routes that Judah and Stern find themselves travelling upon.Despite recent events making it appear that the only time she will work with him again will be when hell freezes over,Mia Farrow gives a charmingly kooky performance as Halley Reed,with Farrow showing Reed to have a natural off-beat warmth that Stern finds irresistible.Keeping away from any sense of warm,Anjelica Huston gives a delightfully chaotic performance as Dolores Paley thanks to Huston showing Paley to be unwilling to run away from the fire that is burning her relationship with Judah to the ground.Spending most of the title fighting to get his dream project made,Woody Allen gives an excellent performance as Cliff Stern,with Allen showing Stern to have an uncompromising one track mind,which leads to Stern completely ignoring the commercial opportunities that could help his Avant-Garde project at last get off the ground.Giving the title a bleak Film Noir heart,Martin Landau delivers a tremendous performance as Judah Rosenthal,with Landau showing horror on Judah's face,as he realize to his horror that the only way he can get off his darken path is to commit some deadly crimes and misdemeanors.

TheLittleSongbird Woody Allen is not everybody's cup of tea, with me while his body of work is not always consistent(but that is true with a lot of directors) much of it is wittily written and insightful as seen with his masterpiece Annie Hall. Crimes and Misdemeanours has everything that is so good about the best of his work. With the subject matter and how the comedy and seriousness is blended Crimes and Misdemeanours is one of Allen's most ambitious, and along with the likes of Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Husbands and Wives and Manhattan it's one of his best too. The look of the film is elegant and hauntingly dark, while the score is jazzy and seductive. The story has some key themes(good and evil and life and death as examples) that are very clearly addressed and dealt with with adroitness and truth. The concept is not an innovative one as such but it's challenging and hugely compelling. And the writing is to thank for that, the humour is wonderfully ironic and very characteristic of the distinctive wise-cracking Allen style, there are references and observations that are sharp and insightful(always one of Allen's strong points as a writer) and they is blended well with a serious tone that is dark and appropriately troubling, the shifts between comedy and drama didn't jar to me. The acting is very good, often outstanding. Woody Allen acts as well as directs and writes and there are no obvious problems with his performance(or his directing), not a likable character by all means but that was the intent. Anjelica Huston doesn't disappoint, nor does Jerry Orbach before his Law and Order days, Sam Waterson and Claire Bloom. Mia Farrow is affecting as well. But the acting honours go to Alan Alda and especially Martin Landau, Alda plays an absolute weasel to perfection while Landau gives a performance that has not only only been matched by his Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's Ed Wood but also one of the greatest performances of any Woody Allen film. All in all, a Woody Allen classic, an example of ambitious done brilliantly. 10/10 Bethany Cox