After attending the release of "The Count of Monte Cristo," a friend made the remark that he believed the movie could benefit from additional fight sequences. Immediately my mind shot back to last year's "The Musketeer," also based (rather loosely, I might add) on another of Alexandre Dumas' famous classics. In that film, character development, story, and tone were sacrificed for the sake of creating yet another movie in which a choreographer of Chinese descent was allowed to make an impression on action aficionados by dazzling them with techniques reminiscent of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." What a relief that this latest adaptation of a Dumas novel strays from the usual clichés and redundancy of bringing a classic work of literature to the screen, coming out as a sturdy, well-guided costume drama that combines action, intensity, passion, and most importantly, revenge. With a script that keeps much of the novel's intricacies intact, a cast befitting of their roles, and a director who keeps things interesting at all times, this is one swashbuckling adventure that pleases in all fields.
The story centers around Edmund Dantes (Jim Caviezel), a sailor from a middle class upbringing in the town of Marseilles. He has a friend, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce), whose father is a wealthy aristocrat; despite his rich lifestyle, Mondego still harbors a slight jealousy for Dantes, who has just been promoted to captain of his vessel, allowing him the opportunity to marry his longtime love, Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk). Overcome by envy, Mondego concocts a vicious plan with the equally jealous first mate of Dantes' boat that lands a wrongfully accused Dantes in the Chateau d'If for more than a decade.
During his years of imprisonment, Dantes' resolve is strengthened by brutal beatings, and by his friendship with fellow prisoner Faria (Richard Harris), who teaches Dantes to read and write, the articulate moves of swordplay, and offers him the location of a long-lost treasure that would give him the means to exact his revenge on those who have wronged him. Faria's death provides Dantes the method of escape he needs, and once out, he begins his quest.
The second half of the movie takes the movie to new heights of interest, as Dantes makes his big entrance in Paris as the Count of Monte Cristo, bent on exacting his revenge on Mondego, now married to a repressed, sullen Mercedes, and on Villefort, the police chief who played a role in his wrongful incarceration. Anyone familiar with revenge plots is well aware that this is a dish best served cold, and many will delight in the cooly calculated revelations and confrontations that arise as Dantes's master plan begins to unfold.
Accompanying this feeling of satisfaction is the movie's wondrous appearance and execution. The look and feel of the film drips with the quality of the swashbuckling adventures of yesteryear, with its themes of vengeance and nobility, it's glorious costumes and set design, and a final showdown that provides a slam-bang finish complete with suspense and fist-clenching thrills. Reynolds, and screenwriter Jay Wolpert, have realized the novel for the screen in a manner that is pleasing to the eye and the mind, keeping in touch with everything that has immortalized Dumas' work without reworking key moments to make room for modern artistic influences.
If this weren't enough to please popcorn audiences and literary buffs, the cast is completely remarkable. Jim Caviezel plays Dantes with the conviction of a man wrongfully accused; by the time he escapes prison, we are all for him and his brilliantly conceived plan. His chemistry with leading lady Dagmara Dominczyk is a welcome slice of old-fashioned romance, while his scenes with Guy Pearce provide a nice contrast of nobility and jealousy, which Pearce perfects in his performance as Mondego. Also worthy of noting are the appearances of Richard Harris and Lius Guzman, who provide humorous touches throughout.
More than anything else, this latest big-screen version of "The Count of Monte Cristo" is a wonderful popcorn adventure replete with everything you could possibly ask for in a film of this sort. Overall, it remains faithful enough to its source, and keeps us enlightened and entertained throughout its well-acted, well-directed, well-executed duration. Count on revenge, and then some.
The tale, if you are not familiar with it, focuses on a French sailor named Edmond Dantes. On a trading trip back to Marseilles, Dantes had the misfortune to stop at the island of Elba, the home of the exiled emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. With his captain dead, Dantes arrives in port and is promptly promoted to become the new captain. This step up in status angers several people around Dantes, specifically Danglars, Villefort, and Mondego. The three conspire to have Edmond arrested on charges of treason and thrown into a political prison called the Chateau D'If. Dantes spends years suffering in solitary confinement, although he eventually meets an elderly prisoner named Faria who educates him while they plan their escape. Moreover, this prisoner tells Edmond about a fabulous treasure that could be his for the taking. Eventually, Dantes escapes and embarks on a series of adventures that finds him returning to seek revenge against his enemies under the name "Le Comte de Monte Christo."
This very short description of Dumas's novel obviously leaves out much of the plot. It also highlights the inherent difficulties in translating "The Count of Monte Christo" into a two-hour film. There is just too much detail, characters, and sub-plots in the novel to work with. The revenge plots Dantes formulates against his enemies alone are of such length and complexity that it would take hours to encapsulate them on the silver screen. Throw in the sub-plot of the Italian bandit Luigi Vampa (who does appear in the film), which is of immense importance in the novel, and it is impossible to adequately convey the full majesty of this classic on celluloid. Fortunately, this film manages to entertain while retaining key elements of the written story.
The first part of the movie hews closely to the novel with a few notable exceptions. The film begins with Edmond and his friend Mondego landing on Elba, where they have a shoot out with British security forces before personally meeting the deposed emperor. Back in Marseilles, we meet Mercedes, Dantes girlfriend and a character who plays a big role in the written story. The filmmakers do insert a warden for Chateau D'If, played by actor Michael Wincott, who does not appear in the book. If you are familiar with Wincott, you will remember his voice and his presence. He makes a great addition here and has the best lines in the film.
By the time Dantes returns to society as the Count, the film diverges wildly from the story. The revenge Edmond seeks here is too pat and too easily resolved. In the book, his vengeance is intricately planned and executed slowly over many, many pages. By shortening this sequence, the filmmakers sacrifice the suspense of the novel to time constraints and a waning attention span common in today's moviegoers. To be fair, the movie never tries to be a literal interpretation of the book (or so says screenwriter Jay Wolpert in an interview on the disc). In some ways, deviating from the book does make the story more compelling. The sword fights are great fun to watch, especially the final showdown between Dantes and Mondego. The scene where Dantes provides a way out for Villefort and then pulls back at the last second is a nice touch as well. Overall, although I think more elements of the book should have been kept in the story, the movie succeeds.
Many extras on the disc make this well worth picking up. There is a short documentary about Alexandre Dumas, a location documentary, four deleted scenes with commentary, a film commentary from director Kevin Reynolds, a detailed explanation on how the sword fights were shot and choreographed, and an interview with writer Jay Wolpert. The picture quality and sound is top notch. I recall that this film disappeared from the theaters quickly, perhaps due to an aversion for period pieces or competition from one of those effects laden clunkers they foist on us every few months. I found "The Count of Monte Christo" entertaining and technically well done, and would certainly view it again.
Buy The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) Now
In this time of fire and explosion oriented blockbuster movies it is indeed refreshing to find a remake of a classic novel of the quality of The Count of Monte Cristo currently available. I happened to nonchalantly choose this film at the DVD outlet as a source of viewing background for an evening of desk work. WRONG! This superbly made film of the Dumas' novel is excellent and gripping on every level. The quality of the film, shot in Ireland and Malta, is visually stunning, the story remains true to the original, and the cast is outstanding. James Caviezel makes a star turn in the title role, aided by the always excellent Guy Pearce, the veteran Richard Harris, the here venomous James Frain, a fine and very different role for Luis Guzman, and the elegantly beautiful Dagmara Domincyzk. The movie is beautifully paced, the long prison scenes allow Caviezel and Harris to create tremendous rapport, and the age old theme of REVENGE has rarely been played out so well. This is a beautiful period piece, finely photographed and scored and edited and directed. For a taste of just how exciting the old tales can be visually, treat yourself to an evening with The Count!Read Best Reviews of The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) Here
This most recent adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel isn't going to please all the fans, particularly those who demand rigorous adherence to the source material (I never did understand such people's way of thinking; a movie is never bad just because it strays from the source) but it most certainly will please moviegoers in the mood for a period piece adventure, and as such a film, The Count of Monte Cristo never fails to entertain for every bit of its running time.Jim Caviezel stars as Edmond Dantes, a rather poor and uneducated man who has a life that his rich friend, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) envies. Dantes has just been promoted to captain of his ship after he and his crew returned from a brief, unanticipated stop in Elba, where Napoleon had given Dantes a letter to give to a "friend." Mondego is particularly jealous that Dantes' fiancee is Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk), their childhood friend who has grown into an utterly beautiful woman.
Mondego sets out to destroy Dantes life by telling French officials of the letter, which leads to Dantes' arrest. He is banished in a prison located on an island rather far from the mainland. As the years pass, another prisoner, Faria (Richard Harris), actually tunnels his way into Dantes cell. With his help, Faria believes they can dig to the outer wall, and in return, he will teach Dantes how to read, write, and fight with a sword. As soon as he makes his escape, Dantes plans his vengeance against those who betrayed him.
There's actually a LOT more plot than what I've stated, which probably already sounds hefty, but there are a lot of things I'd rather not give away. While not without some flaws, The Count of Monte Cristo is rousing entertainment and is probably the best period piece adventure in recent years (personally, I found it more enjoyable than The Patriot, Rob Roy, and The Last of the Mohicans).
The film's first seventy minutes represent marvelous entertainment, consistently gaining momentum with every scene that goes by as we grow more and more compelled by the story. The film stumbles only slightly in the third act, when Dantes eventually encounters all those who destroyed his life so many years ago, and sets in motion a plan for his own vengeance. It's in this lengthy segment that a few moments drag (but only a few) and some scenes feel a little hard to swallow (that Pearce's Mondego wouldn't recognize Dantes). The climax feels a little silly, in that seemingly all the lead characters pop out from nowhere to either fight or reveal long-held secrets.
But thankfully, such flaws are only mild and hardly detrimental. This is a well-acted, well-written, and surprisingly well-directed tale of revenge. As Dantes, Caviezel excels, making a believable transformation from a kind-hearted, innocent man to one whose heart has been hardened through so many years. Guy Pearce chews the scenery quite well as Mondego; he seems to be having a great time playing the greedy antagonist. It's nice to see that Pearce, who usually plays likable characters (as in L.A. Confidential and The Time Machine), is up to the task of giving us a villain to hiss at.
The other performances aren't quite as vital, though Richard Harris is good as Faria, and Luis Guzman is often hilarious as Dantes' right-hand man (the scene where Guzman tells Dantes how to handle the massive amounts of gold they just found is the biggest laugh I've had all year). Dagmara Dominczyk is pretty decent, though her acting is mostly overshadowed by her beauty, a back-handed compliment, I suppose.
The Count of Monte Cristo actually doesn't feature that much in the way of adrenaline-pumping action. Despite all the claims this is a swashbuckler, there are only three swordfights (and one knifefight), and each of these scenes last no longer than maybe two minutes. But the appeal of this film isn't in the action, it's watching a plot that unfolds with little twists and turns that, though often expected, engaged me because I cared about the situation and the fate of the characters.
There was obviously a lot of work put into the way this film looks. The cinematography is gorgeous and the sets are magnificent, with splendor I have rarely seen rendered so well in period pieces. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds, who may yet have a career again after his critical disaster, Waterworld (which actually wasn't half-bad). Highly recommended, The Count of Monte Cristo is great fun all the way.
**** 1/2 out of *****
Want The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) Discount?
Not since Mask Of Zorro have we had an old fashioned revenge movie that played on classic cinema rather than tendency of movies today to be loud and bloody. I was fortunate to see this movie with a sneak preview audience.James Caviezel is fantastic in the role of the Count. He is very believeable as a simple, humble man in the beginning and then the torn, angry, revenge seeking Count later on. The movie has many similar elements to the aforementioned Mask Of Zorro, but has enough of its own identity for you to note the similarities, but not be distracted by them. The beautiful actress Dagmara Domincyzk plays the love interest. There are many closeups of her face and she is stunningly beautiful and convincing. Guy Pearce is a more than able bad guy, successfully creating a character that you come to despise thoroughly by the end.
The audience that I viewed this with absolutely loved it. There are sprinkles of light comedic lines throughout the film and the audience was delighted with them all. The scenes where the Count is exacting his revenge registered the loudest response from the audience, as many were very vocal in their approval of the revenge being dished out.
It had been a while since I viewed a movie where the audience broke into a loud ovation at the end. This one received such an ovation and I concur.
Save 25% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment