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RATING:    
You wouldn't want to be in the shoes of a film legend like Woody Allen. Every time he comes up with a new film, he's understandably expected to live up to his illustrious reputation.
Still, an average Woody Allen film — as in this case — is better than many other films out there.
Like his two previous flicks, this one is also set in his current stomping ground of Britain and, once again, revolves around a murder. But while Match Point was a crime drama and Scoop a darkly humorous fable, Cassandra's Dream is a tragedy of Greek proportions — and there are no pretences about it.
Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry (Colin Farrell) are brothers desperate for money. Just when things couldn't look bleaker, enter fabulously-wealthy Uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson), who needs a favour from the boys: To kill a former business associate about to spill the beans on his dodgy business practices.
We aren't quite sure how convincing the Scottish McGregor and Irish Farrell are as cockney boys but by getting into the skin of their characters, they turn out decent roles; you may even forget Farrell was ever in Alexander and Miami Vice. And they are well-supported by the rest of the cast — especially Wilkinson.
Oh, in case you were wondering about the film title, it's what the brothers named their boat after Terry wins big at the dog races by betting on a canine called Cassandra's Dream.
Cassandra was also the name of a princess in Troy who used her gift of prescience to foreshadow the city's ruin. We think there's a hint there. - TODAY/sh
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