Ian McShane: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Joe Strombol - Scoop (2006)

In 2006 three films were released whose stories all revolved in some way around magic or illusions. There was The Prestige, Christopher Nolan's brilliant period drama about warring 19th-century magicians, featuring a brilliant supporting role for David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. There was The Illusionist, a capable story from Divergent director Neil Burger about a magician who uses his abilities to woo a woman in 19th-century Vienna. And then there was Scoop, one of Woody Allen's weakest films which gave us the low point of McShane's career. Scoop is a romantic comedy/ murder mystery which reunites Allen with his Match Point collaborator Scarlett Johansson. She plays Sondra Pransky, a beautiful but socially awkward American journalism student who is spending her holiday in London. One night she attends a magic show hosted by Sid Waterman (Allen), who calls her up from the audience to participate in a trick called 'The Dematerializer'. Once inside the box, she is visited by the ghost of reporter Joe Strombol, who tells her to hunt down Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), believed to be the legendary Tarot Card Killer who murdered numerous prostitutes. Scoop never received a UK theatrical release, and it isn't hard to see why. Like most of Allen's London-based work, it's shambolically assembled, generally unfunny, horribly forced and has all the suspense and dramatic intrigue of a sub-par Nancy Drew mystery. But while Johannson and Jackman both struggle to make their characters compelling, McShane is the worst offender among the cast, turning what could be an entertaining Basil Exposition-style role into a total drudge. He seems embarrassed to be there and delivers his lines without an ounce of commitment or charisma, resulting in the worst performance of his career. Disagree with my choices? Drop me a comment or visit Mumby at the Movies for more reviews.