You will meet ...

Does Woody Allen bother to read the reviews for his films? Perhaps only to sharpen his ageing sense of angst, because he must know that one of his feebler efforts will usually be one of the year's best-crafted cinematic confections. In 2010's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, he's in London again, for the fourth time, after a break in Barcelona (though still using Spanish government backing according to the end credits).

His 2005-7 output in London comprised Match Point, Scoop and Cassandra's Dream, all of which were also delightful confections. None of them had Allen's old Bergmanesque intensity, all of them were the modern cinematic equivalent of Noel Coward drawing room comedies of manners. Once again, too, Allen attracts the cream of movie acting to play cameo roles that depend on revelatory facial expressiveness, comedic wit, perfect timing and voluble body language. Those skills are what good actors love to display.

Two American imports reveled in the chance to portray subtly selfish characters. Josh Brolin is a failed novelist, Antonio Banderas a philandering art gallery owner. As Brolin's wife, working for Banderas, Australian-reared Naomi Watts reverts to her native English accent and frazzled state of mind, while Bombay-born Frieda Pinto glows as Brolin's neighbour and new love, confirming that Danny Boyle chose well when he picked her for Slumdog Millionaire's female lead.

Two British veterans shine, with Welsh-born Anthony Hopkins (now 73) underplaying ideally as a rich old man pandering to a call-girl, and Gemma Jones (68, also with Welsh ancestry) relishing the story's key role as his despairing ex-wife. Each of them has a perfectly-cast English supporting actress for their wryly comic set-pieces: Pauline Collins (now 70) as the wife's amiable fortune-teller and Brit TV regular Lucy Punch (recently in Hollywood for Dinner with Schmucks). Punch was tapped for the juicy as Hopkin's curvaceous and frightfully-common trophy wife when Nicole Kidman had to drop out, and Punch is clearly in heaven, rolling her eyes, vowels and hips with pantomimic stylishness.

Each pairing leads to a deliberately focused, silent exchange of facial flickers when the characters sense their loving needs and feelings. It's clear why Allen must be a dream director for many; and a galaxy of excellent movie and TV character actors took small supporting parts (such as Christian Me & Orson Welles Mackay, Ewan Trainspotting Bremner, Anna Pushing Daisies Friel). American Zak Orth, a bit-part player in Allen's Barcelona, provides a non-whiny Allenesque voice-over of links and hints. Spanish cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe also worked on Barcelona, and brings carefully-lit magic to scenic London streets and locations.

As always in an Allen movie, the music soundtrack is an appropriate but never distracting blend of jazz, Mozart, opera and sentimental love songs. Even the opening and closing credits maintain Allen's distinctive plainness of white on black. Maybe Allen doesn't titillate his critics any more, but his screenplays continue to show a special awareness of human self-doubts, and good actors' ability to represent them. His direction continues to do what he does best: entertain.