Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Judah Rosenthal	Martin Landau
Cliff Stern	Woody Allen
Dolores Paley	Anjelica Huston
Halley Reed	Mia Farrow
Miriam Rosenthal	Claire Bloom	½
Lester	Alan Alda	½
Barbara	Caroline Aaron	-
Jenny	Jenny Nichols	-
Wendy Stern	Joanna Gleason
Jack Rosenthal	Jerry Orbach
Ben	Sam Waterston
Cameos	Daryl Hannah Mercedes Ruehl	-

Review

Here is one of Woody Allen's finest moments. Crimes and Misdemeanors is a remarkably coherent and well-written rendering on moral and ethics which has an earnestness and intelligence that belies its characters and gives the audience a captivating insight. The film has Allen's usual richness of character, but with unusual nuances - for most of them at least. Allen has a tendency to throw on too many characters and relations in his films, but here he keeps it tight and focused and weaves his two stories nicely together. Martin Landau carries the weight of the film and does so solidly, but the real treat here is Alan Alda's slick and arrogant but ultimately charming and reasonable Lester. Woody Allen is daring as well, as he attempts to answer the very weighty questions he raises. We don't necessarily learn any universal truths, but the film is both perceptive and enjoyable.