| THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO Rating:  Director: Kevin Reynolds Producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman Screenplay: Jay Wolpert based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas Director of Photography: Andrew Dunn Cast: James Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, Luis Guzman, Dagmara Dominczyk, James Frain, and Michael Wincott |
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Review by: Ryan
Kugler
1/30/02
The first few months of each year are Hollywood's dumping ground. All of the blockbusters open during the summer, and all of the prestigious films open at the end of the year to qualify for Academy Award nominations. January through March is when the garbage is unleashed upon us. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I actually saw something released in January that won't be making my worst-of-the-year list.
The Count of Monte Cristo is based on the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas and tells an exciting tale of intrigue and revenge. The material has been filmed many times before, both for television and for the cinema, but I've never read the book or saw any of the adaptations. I went into this one cold, with only the cheesy tagline, "Count on Revenge," on my mind.
The story takes place in France during the Revolution and follows best friends Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) and Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce). The two get caught up in a sticky political situation and in a jealous rage, the less fortunate Mondego goes to the authorities and accuses Dantes of treason. Dantes is taken from his family and the woman he loves, and is jailed in the hellish Chateau d'If.
Dantes knows that he was set-up, but is powerless to do anything. While in prison, he meets a priest (Richard Harris) who hatches an escape plan which will take years of digging, so in the meantime, he teaches Dantes how to read and write, and schools him in the art of sword fighting. Most importantly, he tells Dantes about the treasure of Monte Cristo.
The perfect opportunity arrises for Dantes to make an early escape, and after more than a decade of captivity, he finds himself a free man. He decides to seek out the treasure, disguise himself, and take revenge on those that did him wrong.
The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld), and he does a serviceable job with the material. Apparently, as long as he stays away from Kevin Costner, we'll all be O.K. Everything else, from the screenplay and acting, to the cinematography, sets, and action sequences are all adequate. Nothing in this film is spectacular, but at the same time, nothing is awful either. It's very middle-of-the-road.
Caviezel is fine as Dantes, although I had a hard time believing him as this swashbuckling hero. Pearce is good for the most part as Mondego, although as written, the role is a bit one-dimensional. He's just a bit too over-the-top as the snarling villian, but looks like he's having fun in the role. I enjoyed Richard Harris the most as the priest who befriends Caviezel in prison. He brought a nice, light touch to some of the darker scenes in the prison. Rounding out the cast is P.T. Anderson and Steven Soderbergh regular, Luis Guzman, as Caviezel's sidekick and the film's comic relief. He's totally miscast, but I love the guy, so he gets a pass.
The film is a bit silly in spots, so a
good suspension of disbelief will come in handy. Like Superman,
when Caviezel dons his disguise and becomes the Count, it's so
obvious, yet no one recognizes him. That bothered me a bit, but
in a film such as this, it's better to just go with the flow.
Overall, this is a fun, fast-paced adventure and for the most
part, I enjoyed it. I counted on revenge, and that's exactly what
I got.
Agree? Disagree? Talk about it in the forums.
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