Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

classicsoncall Of all the movie quotes one might attribute to writer and director Woody Allen, the one spoken above by his character Cliff Stern in this picture might epitomize his real life persona best. I think it's just so revelatory about the man himself. The theme carries through in this picture quite obviously, and in it's own way, applies to both of the principal characters, Stern and opthamologist Judah Rosenthal (Martin Landau). A moral quandary is addressed by Judah after he submissively accepts his brother Jack's (Jerry Orbach) solution to an infidelity threatening to ruin his life. Questions of life and death, guilt and innocence, and the ongoing conflict of human relationships all play a part in the story, and Allen has shown himself to be a past master of dealing with all of it. The one bit of certainty that emanates form the picture is the fact that it could not have been made or released during film's Production Code era from the Thirties through the Sixties, as Landau's character gets away with murder and rationalizes that he'll feel less guilty over time about it. As for the supporting cast, Alan Alda's Lester is insufferable while I don't think I've ever seen Mia Farrow look better. "Crimes and Misdemeanors" bears watching, and after having done so, watch it again. It's just that good.

betty dalton One of Woody Allen's own favorite movies, although he mentioned he wanted to cut the comedypart out of "Crimes and Misdemeanors". Thankfully he didnt, because "Crimes and Misdemeanors" mixes crime and comedy as perfectly as I have ever seen it. Add to this mix a very melancholic and tragic romance and you have the wonderfully bright ingredients of this Woody Allen classic.The storyline: an secret affair goes sour because the mistress threatens to reveal everything to his wife.The man panicks and starts pondering of ways to get rid of her. This storyline is the backdrop for a moral question: can one get away with crime WITHOUT punishment? The many (humorous and serious) ways in which Woody Allen wrestles with this question is what makes "Crimes and Misdemeanours" so beautiful and endearing.I could go on and on about this movie which is so dear to me, but I want to end with a quote from the brilliant Professor Louis Levy who survived the concentration camps in World War II. Louis Levy is the personification of many moral questions in this movie. And those questions are being posed without humor and in all earnest. In the end Levy asks himself what "love" is: ...when we fall in love, we are seeking to re-find all or some of the people to whom we were attached as children. We ask our beloved to correct all of the wrongs that these early parents or siblings inflicted upon us. So that love contains in it the contradiction: The attempt to return to the past and the attempt to undo the past...

suite92 The Three Acts:The initial tableaux: Ophthalmologist Judah is successful and respected. However, he's been having an affair with Dolores. Dolores wants to bring up the matter with Judah's wife Miriam, and clear the air. Judah would rather not.Cliff is a maker of small films who has little success. His wife Wendy speaks to her brother Lester, who is very successful in Hollywood. She convinces Lester to get Cliff a job filming a biography on Lester. Cliff takes the job in order to fund his own projects.Delineation of conflicts: Lester does not really want Cliff to direct his biography, but he does it as a favor to Wendy. Cliff does not want to do the piece, since he has no respect for Lester's pomposity. Cliff tries to connect with Halley, Lester's producer, in order to get additional funding for his documentary on Professor Levy. Filming Lester being Lester is a grand pain for Cliff.Judah wants to break up with Dolores, but Dolores has other ideas, which include seriously fouling up his personal and professional life. Jack suggests a solution to Judah's problem, but Judah has qualms. Ben, Judah's rabbi and patient, counsels him to take the higher road: let the meeting happen, let disclosure happen, keep a clear conscience. Dolores escalates, so what does Judah do?Resolution: Judah needs to solve his moral, financial, and personal dilemmas. Cliff needs to find his own success, and perhaps reignite his married life.

Red_Identity I guess having seen Match Point is bound to make anyone not be surprised by a lot of this film, but that film basically serves as the entire prequel as to the events of this film. It's well acted (although for some reason, Huston doesn't mesh nearly as well as everyone else) and it serves a good moral dilemma for some good film discussion (again, sort of tampered if you've seen Match Point). Woody Allen is serviceable, but Landau is the star here and truly brings in the meat towards this screenplay and story. Overall, I don't think this is particularly great, but it's good and has some truly great moments scattered throughout. Recommended.