Review of Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) by Issac L — 29 Apr 2013

Crimes and Misdemeanours is a poignant look at the butterfly effect of man's actions and the choices that affect morality and determine the consequences. The film is told at a glacial pace, with a more serious screenplay rather than humorous and isn't anything too flash or new compared to Woody Allen's other works.

But aside from these paperweights of faults, I love the scenes with Martin Landau's troubled doctor dealing with his neurotic mistress at first, but soon the penultimate guilt that consumes him. One particular scene that I give praise to starts out with Martin Landau's Judah looking over the Hudson River and ends with his discovery that changes him forever, while the whole time Schubert's String Quartet No.

15 plays and makes the scene equally gripping as Landau's performance. Crimes and Misdemeanours solidifies Woody Allen's style of exploring how a character's journey can become a microcosm to a morally dissolving society.