Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
The film's title indicates the themes of two separate stories: 1) a renowned opthalmologist is desperate to cut off an adulterous relationship...which ends up in murder; and 2) an ethically frustrated documentary filmmaker woos an attractive television producer while making a film about her insufferably self-centered boss. (MGM)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Woody Allen
Written By: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Martin Landau, Daryl Hannah, Anjelica Huston, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, Claire Bloom, Mia Farrow, Frances Conroy, Jerry Orbach, Victor Argo, Martin S. Bergmann
Country: USA
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Crimes and Misdemeanors belongs to 92 collections
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Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 8 |  |
Alex Watkins | 5 91st |
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Funny, tragic, painful and thoughtful all at once. Rarely does anyone manage to so successfully combine humor and drama in a way that allows the movie to view both as separate entities while at the same time mixing them together in a way that brilliantly reflects the uncertainty of real-life emotions. This is Allen's most cynical, but also contains bursts of happiness and reflections of humanity that make the lows of the characters that much more poignant. Intelligent and moving.
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| 8 |  |
Jeb | 98 93rd |
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In this masterpiece, Woody Allen conveys two philosophies together, making it a very difficult, hard and fresh film to string together, but frame by frame, he pulls it off. It's a sublime multitudinous of many themes, including relationship, greed, selfishness and death. He crafts a film in the format of a Bergman picture, but also retaining elements of his previous works, by making a serious, engaging drama, while also blending in some lighthearted, funny moments of hilarity.
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| 5 |  |
billkerwin | 99 98th |
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Woody Allen's darkest and richest exploration of evil and its place in the universe. A companion piece to "Matchpoint," and at least its equal in quality. Landau and Orbach are particularly fine.
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| 4 |  |
Magb | 90 85th |
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This is my favorite Allen so far. It examines relationships, morality and religion in a fashion not entirely unlike Bergman. Also, Sven Nykvist did the photography. Don't go thinking it's a Bergman ripoff or anything though, because the similarities, for the most part, end there. There's plenty of neurotic dialogue, upper class parties and all of that stuff Woody loves to hate. The dual storylines were pulled off very well, especially when they were tied together at the end.
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| 4 |  |
Ytadel | 9 98th |
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Brutal, cynical, and funny all at once, this is a layered and complex movie with remarkably bleak conclusions about the nature of human morality. Martin Landau, Woody Allen, and Alan Alda are all superb, and I love the subtle ways the two stories intertwine both literally and thematically. This is one of Allen's best.
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| 4 |  |
Nathan S | 5 93rd |
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Allen does a really great tragicomedy. Two parallel stories, each told with a very interesting paradox. Here he examines relationships, morality, desperation, and faith in a much more somber tone than I expected. It's the most cynical of his films I've seen so far, and even if it doesn't have all the little editing tricks and laugh-out-loud dialogue that's come to be associated with the director, it still carries that uniquely Woody Allen charm.
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| 3 |  |
Ununnilium | 3 0th |
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This is not how human beings act. It's not an examination of the depths of man's inhumanity to man, it's puppets dancing on an empty stage.
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| 2 |  |
JohnnyZombie | 96 97th |
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Despite the fact that this film is made up of two stories, this movie still feels like a complete whole. An excellent and darkly funny meditation on morals. Plus, Woody Allen has the best reaction to a sick sex act.
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| 2 |  |
Cerebrus | 70 61st |
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I have such a mixed mind about this movie. I love the Landau half, and hate the Allen half. Although I love parts of the Allen half and hate parts of the Landau half. It's so close to really being great that I could scream.
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| 2 |  |
Stain | 90 86th |
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Per usual, Woody takes all the pain and cruelty and ugliness of life and makes us laugh at it. Another keeper
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| 2 |  |
Anomaly | 92 96th |
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Strikes a great balance between humor and drama, and between the two plot lines. Very effective and well-paced, it does not disappoint.
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| 2 |  |
Barthalen | 87 94th |
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Using two different storylines and sometimes subtly intertwining them worked wonders. Landau is great as the guilt-ridden cynic and Woody is wonderful as, well, Woody. Great use of flashbacks and voice-overs, especially loved the narration of the philosophy professor.
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| 2 |  |
Luna6ix | 92 98th |
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The most impressive and seamless use of the flashback I've ever seen. Woody Allen proves that even so far into his career he can pull of a great neurotic. I simply can't believe how great of a director he is. This is really such a great collection of acting, writing, and with so many great names that I defy you not to like it. There are no two ways about it, this is a very cerebral movie, but if you're not into that you wouldn't be looking at Woody Allen anyway.
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| 2 |  |
AshWilliams | 90 90th |
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One of Allen's best. You really feel the moral turmoil, anxiety, and desperation in this movie. It has the right amount of suspense. It also has some standard Woody humor in his hilarious rivalry with Alan Alda. But, ultimately, the film draws some very sobering and sad conclusions about humanity -- what we are capable of getting away with. If we do get away with murder, after having suffered its consequences through guilt and pain, should we be allowed to walk free?
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| 2 |  |
Moviejunkie5 | 90 73rd |
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I consider this one of the greatest movies Woody Allen has made. It's definitely in the top three favorite movies of his, with Annie Hall and Match Point. Both stories told in the movie hold interest throughout, but to me Landau's story is even more interesting than the Allen one. Martin Landau is a true legend and in this movie his acting is really superb. Woody is great, as are Mia Farrow and Alan Alda . This is an excellent movie.
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| 2 | simplicio | 63 31st |
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It seems as though Woody's trying to get at big things here, and structurally maybe he's close at points, but the writing (which is really the only thing happening, beside Nykvist's camera) suffocates the whole endeavor. Landau and Huston both do what they can with it, but they can't make up for the hollow script. For a film that's trying to work through juxtaposition, there's no flow. The inserted clips come off as tacky and lazy, and Woody Allen plays Woody Allen. Again.
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| 1 |  |
eveelun | 84 90th |
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A really mature and engaging effort from Allen that avoids the trademark cliches and really probes the depths of human desire, greed, desperation, and conscience.
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| 1 |  |
caocao | 84 97th |
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Simply Brilliant. I don't want to spoil it with my words.
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| 1 |  |
vesupria | 7 78th |
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Allen's study of life and consquences is moving. He shows the development of moral frameworks that we make for ourselves with religion, money and even entertainment... yet the irrationality of our choices, our emotional detachments from the reality of things seem to bring these crushing down within only moments. What lies beyond our own fabrications of reality is truth, whether it be heartbreak, guilt, laughter, betrayal or even love. There's always someone to laugh at our own tragedies.
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| 1 | meanmikhail | 100 91st |
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Woody Allen's best (except maybe for Manhattan).
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| 1 |  |
Icarus | 92 93rd |
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Probably my second favorite Allen film, C&M has a great deal in common with his more recent effort Match Point. But whereas the later film is more stark in its oppositions, C&M is filled with nuance and complexity in its moral questioning. This extra layer of complexity is likely due to the explicit presence of religion in C&M, but the film also succeeds due to wonderful dramatic performances from Landau and Waterston, as well as a fine comic turn from Allen himself.
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| 1 |  |
hellsditch | 73 28th |
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Immediately forgotten. Sounds like a 73 to me.
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| 1 |  |
andayb | 65 68th |
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probably the most serious of allen's work, crimes and misdemeanors is quite a low key, grayscale kind of movie. While the movie's dual storylines and somber tone are unexpected, Allen still injects his quirky comedy and refined intellects into the script, making it an enjoyable and a thought provoking watch. Still, it has a depressing, downer overtone, a bit inaccessible for the casual viewer.
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| 1 |  |
paulofilmo | 67 32nd |
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I don't think Allen is displaying the expected dramedy alchemy here. Feels prosaic; especially in Bergman's shadow.
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| 1 |  |
miss jesus | 76 77th |
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An interesting film, particularly in the case of the Landau half of the film. But Allen is playing the same insecure, whiny schnook (with a fixation on younger women) that he does in every one of his films. The widely-praised philosophy here merely seeks to answer some very basic questions we all must ask ourselves if we wish to reconcile dogmatic moralities with the real world--and a lot of us have already done that.
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| 1 | psychedelicr | 95 94th |
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I enjoy Allen's films, but I never think much of them. This is a clear exception, and it is his best work to date. Very engaging and very thought-provoking, Allen shows that he can make a well-crafted drama--and still have a bit of his humor in it.
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| 1 |  |
XakkMaster | 97 98th |
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I still haven't decided if I was crushed or uplifted by the ending, but I do know that I was thoroughly impressed with the script. This is some of the most thought-provoking material Woody has ever penned and there are moments that transcend several genres (comedy, drama, thriller) without the slightest bump in thematic presentation. The seemingly unrelated stories come together in the final moments and leave us with tragic truths about humanity and our intensely flawed sense of reason/morality.
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| 1 | boredoms | 53 47th |
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shoves its Important Message down your throat and then continues to beat you over the head with it until the very end if you didn't catch it the first time. The bits with Woody and Allan Alda are amusing, though.
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| 1 |  |
wetwillies | 90 80th |
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One of those films you appreciate so much more after watching and pondering it. It was clear to me the sections with Woody and Alda were great, but only after thinking about the film did I realize how awesome the Landau stuff was too. "A strange man defecated on my sister."
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| 1 |  |
Tjekhov | 85 92nd |
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"It's probably just as well. I plagiarized most of it from James Joyce. You probably wondered why all the references to Dublin." Brilliant..
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| 1 |  |
AndreasThau | 80 77th |
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Witty and well-played (especially Landau and Alda). It's a huge gallery of people (but never too many). At the same time this is one of Allen's more explicit deep films, where the thematic references between the parallel stories are vague, yet still profound and - towards the end - they draw closer. The jewish professor that only exists on celluloid in this film is an incredible story character: his presence is saddening, comical (it reflects Allen's solitude which is always fun) and thoughtful.
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| 1 |  |
Rufam | 85 93rd |
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On Kubrick's "2001", Woody Allen once said: "It was one of the few times in my life that I realized that the artist was so much ahead of me". Well, Mr. Allen, I think you have just proven yourself wrong. "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is one of the filmmaker's most intelligent, subtle and touching efforts and undoubtedly among his finest directorial works.
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| 1 |  |
Noblet | 84 81st |
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I don't really love Allen's comedy, but he's a great filmmaker and the drama in this movie is very well done.
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| 1 |  |
stevekimes | 86 79th |
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There isn't a likable character in the bunch, but it is a deeply thoughtful film. My favorite Woody Allen.
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| 1 |  |
capodelnulla | 85 90th |
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herhangi bir allen filmiyle ilgili kolay kolay söylenmeyecek şey filmin sıkıcı veya saçma olduğu, bu anlamda adamın en problemli filmi bile önüme gelen herhangi bir filme tercih edilebilir durumdadır benim için. ama kendisini asıl woody allen yapan şey, seyir keyfi üzerine ekleyebildiği görece pop-felsefi durum ve sorgular oluyor. işte bu, ikinci katmanı da en iyi serdiği filmlerden birisi.
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| 1 | Nepeta | 85 80th |
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A surprisingly complex and nuanced film, so much so that on my first watch I can only scratch the surface of what I feel is there. The obvious comparison is Bergman - especially considering the film's ongoing and utterly compelling look at faith, God, relationships and morality - but the film is nonetheless completely Woody Allen's own as here he mixes humour and poignancy with a strange cocktail of warmth and cynicism. It helps that the performances are excellent and the film looks great.
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| 1 |  |
lisa- | 4 52nd |
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stuck somewhere between the quasi-realism of HUSBANDS AND WIVES and the hyperactivity of ANNIE HALL is this competent but all-too-familiar woody allen thing, with a glossy, high-class aesthetic that feels just a bit too superficial for its heavy musings on morality.
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| 1 |  |
tracy | 9 97th |
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Hot take: good movie. Landau is probably better here than in Ed Wood. The murder scene and the aftermath might be the most striking moments in Allen's filmography. Love the clips of 20,000 Years in Sing Sing and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Insane that the guy who played Prof. Levy lived until 2014.
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| Average Percentile 71.9% from 2666 Ratings |  |