MATCH POINT

"We all need luck"

Coming to the end of his pro-tennis career, Chris Wilton (Meyers) needs to find himself a new direction in life. Meeting Tom Hewett (Goode), he gets the chance to step into the world of wealth and status and because of that he meets Tom's sister Chloe (Mortimer). The two of them soon strike up a relationship and with this comes good fortune as Chris lands a dream job at her father's company. His luck can't last forever however, especially when he meets and falls for Tom's fiancée Nola (Johansson).

Woody Allen's leaves his native New York for London and produces a thriller than proves that he is as diverse as he is talented.

After a few misses, Woody Allen is back on top form with a very different movie than his fans may be used to. Producing one movie a year, the cinematic master turns his creative genius to the thriller genre and looks into the impact of luck on a person's life.

'Match Point' is about how luck can influence your decisions in live and how it can become an obsession. Allen's protagonist, Chris Wilton had relied on luck all of his life and now that his tennis career was drawing to an end, he needs luck again to take him in a new direction. That's when he meets Tom Hewett and is drawn into his world of wealth and privilege. From then on he is blessed with nothing but good luck, finding love, an unbelievable job and central London apartment that would be the envy of anyone. He pushes his luck too far however when he pursues the beautiful, temptress Nola.

This is a new direction for Woody Allen and one that he throws himself into and produces a film that will have you enthralled from the off. While it may portray an American view of British living by consentrating on the upper class and their wealthy world of privilege, the film still works as sexual thriller with many twists and turns.

As usual Woody Allen gathers together an excellent ensemble cast to bring his latest story to life. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is his leading man and he gets the chance to shine as Chris Wilton. While the Irishman's English accent might be a little too much to take seriously but he does get the chance to show what he can do. Both Matthew Goode and Emily Mortimer also impress as the well to do Hewett children who have never had to struggle a day in their lives and Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton are equally depict the upper class with all the grace the American's expect. Stealing the show is the performance of Scarlet Johansson as the object of Chris's lust. Quickly becoming a screen starlet, Johansson's beauty is complemented by her unparalleled talent that can only continue to grow.

'Match Point' is Woody Allen's best movie in years. Calculated and thrilling through to its unexpected finale, the veteran writer/director proves again that he can continue to surprise and enthral both his fans and movie audiences alike.