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The Count of Monte Cristo

***

Cinema Releases - April 19, 2002

Rated on a 4-star scale. Certificate PG. 131 minutes. Directed by Kevin Reynolds. Written by Jay Wolpert; from the novel by Alexandre Dumas. Starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Dagmara Dominczyk, Luis Guzman, Michael Wincott, Henry Cavill.

Kevin Reynolds's "The Count of Monte Cristo" is the fifth major film adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas book. I have not seen the acclaimed 1934 version since I was a child, and I never read the book, but this is a story of absorbing set pieces, ingenious progression, and themes such as life, love, deceit, punishment, revenge, obsession, violence and glory. The material is so clearly good that you can call yourself a fan with only the briefest of familiarity.

Jim Caviezel stars as poor sailor Edmond Dontes, whose rich best friend Count Mondego turns him over to the authorities for a treasonous act that was never committed. Dontes, of course, has to suffer exile at a tortuous island prison, before breaking out, finding a heap of treasure and using the riches to pose as the fictional Count of Monte Cristo. Caviezel is a good choice for the lead role -- he has the kind of open face upon which most anything can be projected, and he is convincing at every turn, going from naïve servant to tormented victim, and then turning into a man consumed by the blackest thoughts of vengeance. Guy Pearce, as Mondego, gives a performance of abject bitterness, and there's a certain sad truth to such declarations as, "I must destroy you, because I cannot stand being jealous of the son of a tailor." Pearce looks consumed, as if demons are about to explode from his eyes and jump from his quivering lips -- but he's an actor of fierce intensity, and so rather than looking ridiculous, he is effective.

The rest of the cast are equally strong; I especially liked Richard Harris as the grizzled old prison companion who provides Caviezel with the education he needs for hope and hard edge he will require for survival. The costumes and settings are correctly bold, too, and in fact everything seems to have been in place for the making a great film.

But "The Count of Monte Cristo" lacks a certain gusto -- the music doesn't try hard enough to manipulate us, many of the camera angles come across as flat or off-key, and the editing seems to grant each plot section equal time, regardless of importance. Perhaps after the disastrously out-of-control production of "Waterworld", Reynolds wanted to play it safe, and shy away from making too large a film. "The Count of Monte Cristo" is strong entertainment, but it misses its chance to be the masterful epic into which this tale cries out to be adapted.

COPYRIGHT© 2002 Ian Waldron-Mantgani

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