Movie Review by Greg GoodsellDirected by Woody Allen
Wealthy ophthalmologist Judah Rosenthal (Martin Landau) has everything. A prosperous practice, a loving wife and family and a flight attendant mistress, Dolores (Anjelica Houston). Tiring of their go-nowhere affair, Dolores threatens Judah to go to his wife about their relationship – as well as reveal some of financial shenanigans. Back against the wall, his life and career on the line, he listens to his hard-as-nails criminal brother Jack (Jerry Orbach) who can have Dolores whacked for X amount of dollars. Appalled that he would even consider such a thing, he goes ahead with the idea, and Dolores is killed, her murder made to look like a burglary break-in. After going through moral qualms, Judah becomes more confident than ever and returns to his world of high-class prestige.
A concurrent story involves documentary director Cliff Stern (director and writer Woody Allen) who is paid big money to make a film about talentless, overbearing TV personality Lester (Alan Alda). Stern wants to do a documentary about Professor Louis Levy (Martin Bergmann) who proffers fascinating theories about the God of the Old Testament. Stern justifies the high-paying project do fund his dream documentary, and takes the high road. Both Stern and Rosenthal meet, where Stern wonders if virtue really is its own reward.
I would never invite Stephen King to my house for movie night. He champions crap like The Boogens (1981), hates Dario Argento and he despises Kubrick’s adaptation of his The Shining (1980) to this very day. There’s one thing that both King and I agree upon: we’re no Woody Allen fans. He once wrote about putting off a trip to the drinking fountain in the movie theater’s lobby while watching Stardust Memories (1980) in order to give himself something to look forward to. Crimes and Misdemeanors is Allen at one of his most accessible while at the same time giving the viewer food for thought.