The Count of Monte Cristo

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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

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