match point
Here's a review of Match Point; bloody good movie, that. Full spoilers ahead for the plot twists and ending. If you haven't watched it yet, don't read what's below and go watch it IMMEDIATELY.
(How to get the extended entry option for Livejournal?)
Plot - part I:
The movie starts with a monologue on how the ball hits the top of the net sometimes and can fall forwards or backwards, so you're sometimes lucky and sometimes unlucky.
Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a pro tennis player who turns tennis coach at an exclusive club. He meets Tom and Chloe from a wealthy, elite family. So he gets closer to them and seduces Chloe. The catch: he falls in lust with Nola, Tom's American struggling actress fiancee (Scarlett Johansson). He marries Chloe and gets a good job through pulling strings. Chloe then gets fixated about having children and sex is a boring routine affair. Tom and Nola broke up sometime after Chris' wedding, which means Chris is free to have an affair with Nola. This involves him going to her place for sex before work and after work. Meanwhile, Chloe remains childless.
(DON'T READ FURTHER.)
Plot - part II:
Nola gets pregnant (duh.) and badgers Chris to leave his wife. Chris is torn because leaving his wife would mean leaving his comfy life, apart from hurting poor Chloe really badly. His solution: he kills Nola, and her next-door neighbour too to make it look like a burglary. He throws their jewellery into the Thames. Just that, when he flings the neighbour's wedding ring, it hits the top of the barrier! and falls backwards onto the pavement. The audience goes, "Uh-oh."
The cops at the crime scene automatically think "Just another drug burglary. Or money. Ah, boring." They still call Chris anyway since the affair is written all over in Nola's diary and he does have a motive for wanting Nola dead. Chris goes there and very convincingly begs them to be discreet about his affair, wife expecting a child and all.
This bit is rather weird and not in keeping in style with the rest of the film: Chris gets visited by the ghosts of his victims and very seriously tells them that he'll sweep his guilt under the carpet.
The next day, the detective has a brainwave and deciphers the exact plan Chris used for the crime! However, another burglary has been attempted in area and the neighbour's wedding ring was found in the criminal's pocket. Now how's that for a twist.
Woah. So Chris gets off scot-free and becomes a father. Never mind the last haunted look just before the movie closes.
I've never really written a movie synopsis before, but I've never been so engaged in a movie before.
Characters
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Chris Wilton did a fantastic job! He was such a jerk, but he had me rooting for him every step of the way. I wanted him to get together with Nola because he was having such an unhappy time with Chloe (no love in marriage what to do); then when he was torn between them, I wanted him to find a way out. After he killed Nola I desperately wanted him NOT to be apprehended. He was such a wreck during the whole planning to kill and killing business. (Well, doesn't hurt that he looks good and is British.)
Scarlett Johansson as Nola was really sultry - the camera always panned up really close to her face, to make it seem like Chris couldn't keep his hands off her. She was very real in her frustrations - that she never got through auditions, that she was pregnant but Chris didn't want to take responsibility. I sympathised with her; never mind that she was The American Temptress, she was a victim all the way.
The rest of the cast was a delight to listen to - crisp British accents! I couldn't help feeling sorry for Chris' wife, but I disliked Tom (Nola's ex-fiance) for his flippancy.
Music
Just opera in the background. Added to the mood of the film, but nothing great to me.
Overall: A very engaging movie. Please watch it before I've spoilt it for you. Ahahaha.
(How to get the extended entry option for Livejournal?)
Plot - part I:
The movie starts with a monologue on how the ball hits the top of the net sometimes and can fall forwards or backwards, so you're sometimes lucky and sometimes unlucky.
Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a pro tennis player who turns tennis coach at an exclusive club. He meets Tom and Chloe from a wealthy, elite family. So he gets closer to them and seduces Chloe. The catch: he falls in lust with Nola, Tom's American struggling actress fiancee (Scarlett Johansson). He marries Chloe and gets a good job through pulling strings. Chloe then gets fixated about having children and sex is a boring routine affair. Tom and Nola broke up sometime after Chris' wedding, which means Chris is free to have an affair with Nola. This involves him going to her place for sex before work and after work. Meanwhile, Chloe remains childless.
(DON'T READ FURTHER.)
Plot - part II:
Nola gets pregnant (duh.) and badgers Chris to leave his wife. Chris is torn because leaving his wife would mean leaving his comfy life, apart from hurting poor Chloe really badly. His solution: he kills Nola, and her next-door neighbour too to make it look like a burglary. He throws their jewellery into the Thames. Just that, when he flings the neighbour's wedding ring, it hits the top of the barrier! and falls backwards onto the pavement. The audience goes, "Uh-oh."
The cops at the crime scene automatically think "Just another drug burglary. Or money. Ah, boring." They still call Chris anyway since the affair is written all over in Nola's diary and he does have a motive for wanting Nola dead. Chris goes there and very convincingly begs them to be discreet about his affair, wife expecting a child and all.
This bit is rather weird and not in keeping in style with the rest of the film: Chris gets visited by the ghosts of his victims and very seriously tells them that he'll sweep his guilt under the carpet.
The next day, the detective has a brainwave and deciphers the exact plan Chris used for the crime! However, another burglary has been attempted in area and the neighbour's wedding ring was found in the criminal's pocket. Now how's that for a twist.
Woah. So Chris gets off scot-free and becomes a father. Never mind the last haunted look just before the movie closes.
I've never really written a movie synopsis before, but I've never been so engaged in a movie before.
Characters
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Chris Wilton did a fantastic job! He was such a jerk, but he had me rooting for him every step of the way. I wanted him to get together with Nola because he was having such an unhappy time with Chloe (no love in marriage what to do); then when he was torn between them, I wanted him to find a way out. After he killed Nola I desperately wanted him NOT to be apprehended. He was such a wreck during the whole planning to kill and killing business. (Well, doesn't hurt that he looks good and is British.)
Scarlett Johansson as Nola was really sultry - the camera always panned up really close to her face, to make it seem like Chris couldn't keep his hands off her. She was very real in her frustrations - that she never got through auditions, that she was pregnant but Chris didn't want to take responsibility. I sympathised with her; never mind that she was The American Temptress, she was a victim all the way.
The rest of the cast was a delight to listen to - crisp British accents! I couldn't help feeling sorry for Chris' wife, but I disliked Tom (Nola's ex-fiance) for his flippancy.
Music
Just opera in the background. Added to the mood of the film, but nothing great to me.
Overall: A very engaging movie. Please watch it before I've spoilt it for you. Ahahaha.