Cassandra's Dream (2007)

The tale of two brothers with serious financial woes. When a third party proposes they turn to crime, things go badly and the two become enemies.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	Ian Blaine
Colin Farrell	...	Terry Blaine
Peter-Hugo Daly	...	Boat Owner (as Peter Hugo-Daly)
John Benfield	...	Brian Blaine
Clare Higgins	...	Dorothy Blaine
Ashley Madekwe	...	Lucy (as Ashley Medekwe)
Andrew Howard	...	Jerry
Hayley Atwell	...	Angela Stark
Sally Hawkins	...	Kate
Keith Smee	...	Terry's Track Mate
Stephen Noonan	...	Mel
Dan Carter	...	Fred
Richard Lintern	...	Director
Jennifer Higham	...	Helen
Lee Whitlock	...	Mike

Storyline

Two London brothers are hard-up for cash, and both have girls to look out for, too. When rich Uncle Howard comes to town and agrees to help them out, he admits his finances are under investigation, and he asks them to do him a favor and "take care of" an old business relation to keep his trouble under wraps - he says that they're family, and since he always takes care of them, the least they could do is help him out this once, as they're the only ones he can trust. The film follows their struggle with the immorality of this request and how each brother chooses to deal with it.

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Plot Keywords:

social climber | money | loan | loan shark | hotel | 

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Taglines:

Family is family. Blood is blood.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some sexual material and brief violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Woody Allen had trouble telling Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor apart, and often got them mixed up.

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Goofs

When distraught Terry comes to discuss murder at Ian's apartment, the whiskey bottle comes out twice after changing camera shot angle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ian: Ah, she's a beauty! I mean, look her - she's not new, but she looks new. He said the engine needed work.
Terry: I could do the engine.
Ian: I can't believe he's asking so little. It's practically a steal.
Terry: John Anderson said we could keep it at his marina - free of charge - at least for a year till his son comes back.
Ian: Ah, here he comes. Don't show you're too eager or he won't budge on the price, all right?
Terry: Right.

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Connections

Featured in Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond (2016)

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Soundtracks

Time to Undress
Written by H. Salters
Performed by General Electriks
Courtesy of Quannum Projects

User Reviews

The Crime Of Dreaming

This is, perhaps, Woody Allen's darkest tale. No hope, no possibility of hoping. Dreaming seems so meaningless. The "I want" syndrome. Nothing will come out of it and shame on you for wanting it. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor are wonderful in performances without frills or shine. Strangely enough, Allen shows a bit of compassion for his characters but no respect. He seems to despise them. It is merit of the two actors that we manage to stay with them without falling in love with them without even like them very much. The ending, I felt, was a bit of a cope out. Woody got to the gates of hell but didn't venture in. He leaves to us the details of all that darkness. The film, however, bears Woody Allen's name but could have been a film by Basil Dearden or J Lee Thompson and I mean that as a compliment.

Details

Official Sites:

TFM Distribution [France]

Country:

USA UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Woody Allen Summer Project 2006

Filming Locations:

7 Barlby Road, Kensington, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$361,901, 20 January 2008

Gross USA:

$973,018

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,687,639

Company Credits

Production Co:

Iberville Productions, Virtual Studios, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Stereo)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1