The Count of Monte Cristo

-

The Count of Monte Cristo
Starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain
Directed by Kevin Reynolds

Based from the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, "The Count of Monte Cristo" centers around a man named Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) and his friend Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce).  Mondego is jealous of Dantes because he has a better life than him, and especially covets his fiance Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk).

While on the isle of Elba, Mondego witnesses the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte handing a letter to an unsuspecting Dantes, and uses that to get Dantes arrested for treason.  Dantes - who is fully innocent - is sent to a prison on an abandoned island where, for fourteen years, he's tortured and forced to live in solitary confinement.

He meets Abbe Faria (Richard Harris), who teaches him how to read, write, and fight, and one day Dantes manages to escape the prison.  He discovers a pirates' lost gold and changes his image.  Returning home under the name the Count of Monte Cristo, he goes about getting his revenge on everyone who did him wrong, hoping it would give him closure.

I saw this movie with a friend who read the book (I didn't read the book), and she said it was fairly accurate, with some discrepancies, but that's to be expected for a movie based from a book.  The movie is still extremely well done, crafted brilliantly with great leads Caviezel as the man done wrong who you wish will get the closure he deserves, and Pierce as the ever-jealous friend who will stop at nothing to have everything his friend has, but when he achieves it, he doesn't appreciate it.

The story is classic and the theme is universal - does revenge really solve your problems?  For Dantes, the answer is no.  However, the book shows more of his struggle than the film, which is the only flaw.  The buildup to the revenge was long, and the actual taking of revenge was extremely short.  The ending, too, was very Hollywood-style.  Other than that, it's a classic film with great acting and storytelling.

My Rating: A

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a...
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small ...
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a...
Read more