Match Point

"Match Point" silently draws you in before you realize that the story is about to take a nasty turn. The metaphor of the title is spelled out for us in the opening sequence. For all the work and effort a skilled tennis player may put into their game, many times fate is controlled by luck. Whose side of the court will the ball land on? At its core, "Match Point" is about lust and luck. The combination can be deadly.

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is Chris Wilton, a former up-and-coming tennis player who has decided to leave the circuit and move on with his life. The problem is that he really has few skills beyond his serve and volley. After taking a job as a tennis pro at a swanky British tennis club, Chris meets Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) who, in turn, introduces Chris to his sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer). The two become close, and begin spending more and more time together. Chloe, always looking for Chris to pursue his ambition for success, introduces him to her father during a weekend getaway at the family estate. Not only does Chris get an executive job offer, he also meets Nola (Scarlett Johansson) with whom he instantly lusts over. Only five minutes after putting some aggressive verbal moves on her, Chris learns that Nola is engaged to Tom.

After a brief romp in the grass, Nola discourages Chris from having contact with her, yet he can't get her out of his mind. Time moves on, eventually Chris and Chloe marry, Tom marries another woman, and Nola disappears. Despite his best efforts, Chris can't track her down and just about gives up on ever finding Nola again. That is until that fateful day in the art museum when their paths cross again and the intense affair begins.

"Match Point" is billed as both a drama and a thriller. The drama runs throughout, but the thriller component is not carried out until the last 30 minutes. Chris' marriage, and pompously rich lifestyle, is threatened when Nola becomes insistent that he leave Chloe to be with her. The situation gets out of control and he is forced to extremes to deal with it. I won't go any further here than to say that his measures are surprising, and the eventual ramifications are the highlight of the film. Until this point, not a whole lot has happened. There has been an ongoing affair, but nothing overly exciting. Trust me when I say that the final third of the movie is riveting, and is reminiscent of some of the great Hitchcock films with that "Ah Ha!" moment that brings the story full circle.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Match Point" and recommend it without hesitation. It's a doubles match where only two of the four players know what's really going on, and everyone is vulnerable to a double fault. I give it an A-.

"Match Point" is rated R with a running time of 124 minutes.