The Count of Monte Cristo (B+ or 3/4 stars)
In the mood for classic story of revenge & redemption that is full of swordplay, romance, ruthless villains & grand heroics? If so, then 'The Count of Monte Cristo' (directed by Kevin Reynolds, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) offers that up in spades. This story - adapted for the 10th time as a film from Alexandre Duma's novel - begins when idealistic French sailor, Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel), leads a mercy mission to the island of Elba to get medical aid for his ship's dying captain. Elba happens to be the isle where Napoleon (Alex Norton) has been banished and, Dantes naively accepts a message from Bonaparte to deliver back home. Once there, Dantes resumes his romance with the devoted Mercedes (beautiful Dagmara Dominczyk), which angers his childhood friend Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce).
Overcome with jealousy (about Dante's advantageous lot in life), Mondego betrays Dantes, accuses him of treason, and Villefort (James Frain), a corrupt magistrate, sentences him to life imprisonment. After 13(!) hellish yrs. in prison, Dantes is befriended by Abbe (Richard Harris), a feisty old soldier-turned-cleric, who teaches him how to read, how to fence, & tells him the locale of some hidden treasure ... on the isle of Monte Cristo. In one nail-biting sequence, Dantes manages to escape, joins up with pirates (including a companion played by Luis Guzman), finds the treasure, and makes a grand return disguised as the fictional Count of Monte Cristo. A lot has happened while Dantes was imprisoned: Fernand thrived, married Mercedes, and they had a child, now 15 yr. old Albert (Henry Cavill). And so, with everyone believing Dantes to be long dead, 'The Count' aims to keep up his charade long enough win back Mercedes and exact revenge on all who ruined his life.
What a thoroughly enjoyable movie this is. Firstly, I must praise Director Kevin Reynolds & writer Jay Wolpert for providing some old Hollywood-styled movie magic (Dantes' brilliant escape sequence, his arrival - via balloon - as the Count of Monte Cristo), keeping the story moving at a good pace, and not tampering TOO much with the source material. Yes, changes have been made. But they make sense and, dare I say, improve some of the goings-on {for me, at least}. Sure, there is some clunky dialogue, at times. And I would have liked a little more character depth. But I'm nitpicking. The three things that really make this film work is the barebones plot (a classic that is designed to entertained either on the page or up on a big screen), the stunning visuals, & the performances.
With his dark hair, piercing blue eyes and kind soul, Jim Caviezel gives us a dashing, debonair hero that we can easily root for. Guy Pearce {with his high hair & buck teeth} has a grand 'ole time hamming it up as the vicious, dastardly, sneering cad who falls for corruption. James Frain ably disgusts as the other villain. At 70 yrs. old, Richard Harris impresses as the surprisingly nimble prisoner who offers sage advice for Dantes. I enjoyed Luis Guzman as Dante's amiable sidekick, Jacopo. And I liked Henry Cavill as Albert Mondego, an impressionable young man who - in the climax - is thrust into unwelcomed emotional & physical duress.
Director Kevin Reynolds also must be praised for condensing the dense proceedings to a smooth 130 minutes in length. His $35 million production budget is fairly low for this type of film, and that can be attributed to him not needing to rely on any heavy visual effects or camera trickery. Instead, he leans on those performances, the smashing swordplay/action, & those visuals. Andrew Dunn's cinematography is superb. The 19th century sets (crumbling castles, ornate interiors, carriages) & costumes are magnificent. And Ed Shearmur's music score is appropriately propulsive & sweeping when it needs to be. 'The Count of Monte Cristo' may not be perfect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fun action, opulent splendor, and rousing revenge story that provided me a worthwhile escapist diversion.
Overcome with jealousy (about Dante's advantageous lot in life), Mondego betrays Dantes, accuses him of treason, and Villefort (James Frain), a corrupt magistrate, sentences him to life imprisonment. After 13(!) hellish yrs. in prison, Dantes is befriended by Abbe (Richard Harris), a feisty old soldier-turned-cleric, who teaches him how to read, how to fence, & tells him the locale of some hidden treasure ... on the isle of Monte Cristo. In one nail-biting sequence, Dantes manages to escape, joins up with pirates (including a companion played by Luis Guzman), finds the treasure, and makes a grand return disguised as the fictional Count of Monte Cristo. A lot has happened while Dantes was imprisoned: Fernand thrived, married Mercedes, and they had a child, now 15 yr. old Albert (Henry Cavill). And so, with everyone believing Dantes to be long dead, 'The Count' aims to keep up his charade long enough win back Mercedes and exact revenge on all who ruined his life.
What a thoroughly enjoyable movie this is. Firstly, I must praise Director Kevin Reynolds & writer Jay Wolpert for providing some old Hollywood-styled movie magic (Dantes' brilliant escape sequence, his arrival - via balloon - as the Count of Monte Cristo), keeping the story moving at a good pace, and not tampering TOO much with the source material. Yes, changes have been made. But they make sense and, dare I say, improve some of the goings-on {for me, at least}. Sure, there is some clunky dialogue, at times. And I would have liked a little more character depth. But I'm nitpicking. The three things that really make this film work is the barebones plot (a classic that is designed to entertained either on the page or up on a big screen), the stunning visuals, & the performances.
With his dark hair, piercing blue eyes and kind soul, Jim Caviezel gives us a dashing, debonair hero that we can easily root for. Guy Pearce {with his high hair & buck teeth} has a grand 'ole time hamming it up as the vicious, dastardly, sneering cad who falls for corruption. James Frain ably disgusts as the other villain. At 70 yrs. old, Richard Harris impresses as the surprisingly nimble prisoner who offers sage advice for Dantes. I enjoyed Luis Guzman as Dante's amiable sidekick, Jacopo. And I liked Henry Cavill as Albert Mondego, an impressionable young man who - in the climax - is thrust into unwelcomed emotional & physical duress.
Director Kevin Reynolds also must be praised for condensing the dense proceedings to a smooth 130 minutes in length. His $35 million production budget is fairly low for this type of film, and that can be attributed to him not needing to rely on any heavy visual effects or camera trickery. Instead, he leans on those performances, the smashing swordplay/action, & those visuals. Andrew Dunn's cinematography is superb. The 19th century sets (crumbling castles, ornate interiors, carriages) & costumes are magnificent. And Ed Shearmur's music score is appropriately propulsive & sweeping when it needs to be. 'The Count of Monte Cristo' may not be perfect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fun action, opulent splendor, and rousing revenge story that provided me a worthwhile escapist diversion.