Woody Allen
Scoop

THE REVIEW

"Scoop" (2006) by Woody Allen is chronologically located between "Match Point" and "Cassandra's Dream" (a terrible title, much better in its original form "Cassandra's Dream").
They only have in common the London setting, through which Woody lends renewed charm to his films.

It is a Comedy-Thriller, starring Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, and Woody himself.
To date, it's the last film featuring Woody as an actor, but never say never, even "Gran Torino" was supposed to be Eastwood's last film.
When Scarlett discovers, in an improbable way, the true identity of the tarot card killer, a murderer who dominates in London, she will join forces with Allen, a vaudeville magician, to solve the mystery.
I won't reveal too much because it's an enjoyable film, with a vaguely nostalgic atmosphere and autobiographical hints (let's think, for example, of Allen's beginnings in cabaret).

It is a brilliant comedy, à la Billy Wilder, whose strength doesn't lie so much in the story, which is balanced nonetheless, but in the actors, the lines, and the excellent direction.
Allen demonstrates, especially with "Match Point", a new energy after less successful films like "Melinda and Melinda".
It will please and certainly appeal to fans because it falls within the most classic of Woody's canons and brings back those lines we have grown to love: "I was born into the Jewish faith but converted to Narcissism".

The direction is sober and clear, just like in "Match Point" and "Cassandra's Dream". It is undeniable that Allen manages to avoid, with keen direction, all those moments that would cause the film's pace to drop.
It becomes apparent that Allen's abilities are still evolving, or rather, they become more adaptable with the progression of experience.
Directors like him or Manuel de Oliveira (born in 1908) relentlessly pursue their path, continuing to shoot, and proving that one is never truly "arrived".

Sigmund Freud always said something (referring to the importance of manual work in asylums) that Woody Allen remembers well: "An occupied hand is a happy hand".