In this highly entertaining, beautifully photographed rekindling of the classic French novel by Alexandre Dumas, director Kevin Reynolds choreographs a fantastic adventure replete with breathtaking scenery, fiery swashbuckling battles, lavish costumes, and, above all else, sweet revenge. In 19th-century Marseille, Edmond Dantes .. Read more
| Starring | Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, Dagmara Dominczyk |
|---|---|
| Director | Kevin Reynolds |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
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In this highly entertaining, beautifully photographed rekindling of the classic French novel by Alexandre Dumas, director Kevin Reynolds choreographs a fantastic adventure replete with breathtaking scenery, fiery swashbuckling battles, lavish costumes, and, above all else, sweet revenge. In 19th-century Marseille, Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) is the optimistic but uneducated son of a sea captain. He cherishes his friendship with the son of a count, Mondego (Guy Pearce), and is deeply in love with his fiancee, Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk). Young Dantes is so innocent and naive that it is positively shocking when Mondego turns on him, accusing him of treason, and having him sentenced to life in the dreary dungeon of Chateau D'If. Years of isolation and torture nearly defeat the revenge-thirsty Dantes, but with the help of invaluable lessons from the Abbe Faria (Richard Harris), his luck slowly changes. An incredible prison break starts Dantes on his way to a new life, and from there Reynolds' COUNT truly takes off. Battles with pirates lead to hunts for sunken ocean treasure, and soon Dantes is living in Marseille as the transformed, newly rich, self-proclaimed Count of Monte Cristo. Installed in a ritzy chateau, he slowly unfurls his excrutiatingly careful plans to exact his revenge on Mondego and all those who ever wronged him.
| Starring | Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, Dagmara Dominczyk, James Frain, Albie Woodington, Michael Wincott, Alex Norton |
|---|---|
| Director | Kevin Reynolds |
| Studio | TOUCHSTONE HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 5 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 03 Feb 2003 Production year: 2002 |
| Format | DVD |
This umpteenth version of Dumas' Napoleonic-era revenge novel makes a preposterous, expansive and self-conscious... read more on Time Out
Old fashioned swashbuckler that provides simple pleasures even though it lacks the requisite panache.
I don't remember this getting many plaudits from the pundits on its cinematic release (or thereafter), but I was pretty pleased by it when I saw it.
Slickly made, clearly with a canny budget fairly well spent. Harris is good as the mentor and Guy Pierce is suitably unlikable as the dastardly Mondego. The sets and the costumes are all lavish and complete, and the action pieces are great with plenty of swordfighting.
Obviously the story is a dark tale of injustice and single-minded revenge that is at once cleverly calculated and also violently consuming and destructive. Actually pretty grim I suppose, but played out well. At least I never felt sorry for the baddie.
My only real criticism is that it struck me afterwards as perhaps being a bit generic as a film, I came away thinking 'that was really good, but fairly unremarkable'. You've seen it all before in various films of this kind, but it is done really nicely here. I recommend it as an enjoyable watch.
This is one of the best films i have seen for a long time its way up there with Shawshank redemption.
The twists are well timed and the storyline is gripping
A must see for anyone who likes action revenge and a happy ending
Former Neighbours star Guy Pearce has told a movie website how he tends to choose smaller productions to act in as they are "decent" and "don't seem to have a lot of pressure on them". Quint of Ain't It Cool News interviewed the actor, who achieved wide acclaim for his role in mind-boggling thriller Memento but has recently starred in Factory Girl with Sienna Miller. "I just find the things that I like really and any sort of bigger studio stuff that I get offered is... Read more