Writer/director Woody Allen's recent trend of murderous tales set in London continues with this story of two brothers (Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor) who set themselves up as killers-for-hire in order to escape their financial woes. The movie begins with Terry (Farrell) and Ian (McGregor) buying a rundown old sailboat in hopes of recapturing more carefree days they spent out on the water as kids. They christen the boat "Cassandra's Dream" after the winning racing dog who paid off for gambling addict Terry. Both brothers are unhappy with their lives: Ian works for his father in a restaurant where he's miserable and anxious to leave; Terry is an auto mechanic making low wages. When Terry's winning gambling streak comes to an abrupt and nasty end, he's left with a $90,000 debt which he can't even begin to repay. Ian meets a beautiful actress (Hayley Atwell) he's hoping to impress. Enter the rich and successful Uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) who's been the subject of constant admiration at the family dinner table and has helped out in the past with small donations to his less fortunate relatives. When the brothers ask their uncle for help escaping their money worries, he turns the tables with a sinister proposition: He'll give them the money they need, but first they must kill a business associate of his who's set to testify against him and bring down his business empire (as well as send him to prison). Things get complicated as the brothers wrestle with their consciences and prepare to cross a lethal line. I enjoyed the performances in this movie, especially Farrell and McGregor who bounce off each other nicely, and the wonderful Sally Hawkins who plays Terry's girlfriend Kate. John Benfield and Claire Higgins were also excellent as the bickering parents of the brothers, and Tom Wilkinson was fine as Uncle Howard. Hayley Atwell, as Angela (the woman with whom Ian becomes smitten) was problematic for me -- not a particularly interesting actress in a not particularly interesting role. There was a bit of deja vu from Allen's previous, better film "Match Point", as well as an unsatisfying ending that didn't seem quite plausible. The movie was good enough, but never caught fire as it might have.
Things to love about this movie: Cool London scenes, good performances (especially Farrell and McGregor) and casting
Things to hate about this movie: The spark is missing, boring lead actress Atwell
Pleasant surprises: None of the usual Allen mannerisms in writing and directing
Unpleasant surprises: A "convenient" ending that's less than satisifying
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