Woody Allen is found in fine form with his latest film ‘Scoop’. With ‘Scoop’, Allen continues in the non-naturalistic vein of films such as ‘Zelig’ and ‘The Purple Rose Of Cairo’. ‘Scoop’ has an original, intriguing scenario.

On his way to the afterlife, late British journalist Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) gets the scoop of his career. He is told that the Tarot Card Killer who has been menacing the women of London is high profile aristocrat, Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman). Like any crusty journalist worth his salt would do, Strombel has to pass on the scoop. From the other world he gets in touch with attractive up and coming journalist, Sandra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson). He appears to her whilst she is participating, behind a closed door, in a stage act run by veteran magician, Sid Waterman (Woody Alllen). Pransky knows that a scoop like this can make her career. She gets on the case, and enlists the help of Waterman who she makes out is her father.

‘Scoop’ is great value. It is a highly entertaining, well crafted film, with the film’s various turning points well laid out. Woody Allen is in wonderful comic form, reprising the magician role that he used to such telling effect in his contribution to the electic short film collection, ‘New York Stories’.

This is vintage Allen, deeply neurotic, wisecracking his way through life, and, in this case, with a pack of cards, and a flashy card trick, always at the ready. One of his zingy one liner goes, ‘I was born of the Jewish faith, but I have now adopted narcissism’.

Allen’s regular lead actress Scarlett Johasson gives a fine, understated performance as Pransky. She portrays something of a ditzy, deadpan character who stumbles her way to success. Allen gives some great one liners to her.

Hugh Jackman shines as the sophisticated, handsome Lyman, whose perfect exterior masks much darker aspects. Ian McShane rounds out the main players as the classic newspaper man.

Allen combines the film’s rich comic tone with some great suspenseful scenes, a great mixture! The soundtrack is great including plenty of classical compositions, including music from ‘Peer Gynt’. The cinematography works well with plenty of lovely shots of beautiful English countryside.

Allen has always had a rich, colourful imagination. One only has to recall early films such as ‘Sleeper’ and ‘Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask’. In ‘Scoop’, Allen paints a quirky picture of the after-life, with recent additions to the dead, talking to each other on a death boat, and caught in a misty, darkly blue light.

‘Scoop’ is highly recommended.

24 March, 2007