A tennis ball hits the top of the net: which way it falls will determine the outcome of the match. This is Allen’s metaphor for the role luck or chance plays in life, a concept he elaborates upon in this story of a former tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who insinuates himself into British high society by marrying a rich man’s daughter (Emily Mortimer) but then finds his luxurious lifestyle threatened when he becomes passionately involved with a struggling American actress (Scarlett Johansson).

The first of Allen’s London films, Match Point is a scathing morality play about greed, lust and ambition in a fallen world where people have ceased feeling accountable for their actions. It is also a reminder of what a fine, underestimated storyteller Allen is: a slow-motion shot of an incriminating ring being tossed towards a river will have you holding your breath, and the final plot twist carries a vicious, ironic sting.