‘Match Point’ scores as complex thriller

In the film “Match Point,” Chris is having a run of good luck. Giving tennis lessons to the upper class wins him a wealthy wife and a lucrative job at his father-in-law’s company. Their money and prestige buy him a lavish lifestyle. His clandestine extracurricular activities bring happiness, but only for a while. A change of luck threatens this idyllic life. Attempts to change the situation in his favor have the potential for disaster.

“Match Point” is a metaphor for life. Luck determines the winners and losers in life. In tennis, the point is illustrated when the ball hits the top of the net. If the ball falls forward, the server wins; backward, he loses. Either way, luck, not the player, is in control. This premise is established by Chris in the first act. Despite his thinking that life is beyond his control, he cheats, lies and does even worse to control or change his situation.

Woody Allen explores the dark side of man’s fixation with his libido. The writer/director often uses comedy to portray men who let their sexual desires instead of their brains rule their actions. Here he takes a chillingly tragic approach.

In one pivotal scene, Chris stops himself from making a major error in judgment, and the audience sees not only the change of mind taking place, but also the reasoning that changes his mind. The twenty-something Chris is a twisted byproduct of his generation, raised on instant gratification -- his long-term goals are governed by short-term solutions, and his decisions favor himself, regardless of the consequences for others.

The actors, along with Allen, are responsible for making “Match Point” the plot-twisting thriller that it is. Jonathan Rhys-Myers subtly communicates the thoughts and feelings of his character, Chris, caught in the throes of a secretive moral crisis. His performance is intriguingly believable, though not admirable. Scarlet Johanson in the role of his companion and rival is a perfect match. Together, their characters’ need to dominate and control each other creates a fascinating exercise in power play.

It is part opera, part Shakespeare. Set among the upper class in modern day England, “Match Point” is a tension-mounting adult thriller. Allen’s movie is definitely worth the price of admission.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS produces commercial videos and documentaries.

20060112h0g0znke(LA)