"If you ever loved me, don't rob me of my hate. It's all I have left." (Review)

I have to say I was quite pleased to see that this film won my little poll. I rented The Count of Monte Cristo a couple of years ago based on a trailer I saw while browsing through Blockbuster. I think it was one of those nights when no one else was home and I was just looking for something fun and simple. I figured that since it hadn’t done very well in the theatres there likely wasn’t much to it. A few hours later I was very pleased to see that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Based on Alexandre Dumas’ novel of the same name, The Count of Monte Cristo tells the story of Edmond Dantes (James Caviezel). Napoleon is imprisoned on the Isle of Elba in 1815 and Edmond is soon to marry his sweetheart and become captain of his own vessel. Edmond makes a daring attempt to find aid for his former captain, so he and his closest friend, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce), land on Elba and seek assistance from Napoleon’s captors. His troubles begin during their brief stay on Elba. Dantes returns home and is framed as a Napoleonic conspirator by Mondego and two others. He is sentenced to life imprisonment inside the Chateau d’If and nearly gives up on life itself before meeting a fellow inmate (Richard Harris) who reveals to him the location of the legendary treasure of Sparta, located on the island of Monte Cristo. Edmond vows to find a way out of prison and use the treasure to exact revenge on those who wronged him.

I haven’t read the novel but I’m sure much of the 117 chapter book has been left out. That being said, there is still a lot going on in this movie and it manages to keep a good pace without oversimplifying anything. The director, Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld), ensures that the audience is both informed and entertained throughout. A plot that involves treason, conspiracy, betrayal, imprisonment, friendship, escape, treasure, disguise, romance and revenge may seem like too much for one movie. This is not the case with The Count of Monte Cristo. Each detail of Edmond’s incredible ordeal is portrayed with clarity and allure.

Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, Frequency) does an incredible job as Edmond Dantes. His character goes through a series of changes throughout the film and Caviezel manages to accurately depict each change with feeling and realism. There are almost four different personalities at work here – innocent and unaware Edmond who is framed and sent to prison, desperate and forlorn Edmond who suffers in prison, intelligent and cunning Edmond who escapes from prison and, of course, the sophisticated and debonair Count of Monte Cristo. It’s the ultimate underdog story and Caviezel’s performance makes you cheer for him. Guy Pearce (Momento, L.A. Confidential) does a great job as Mondego, delivering many of the film’s terrific lines – “Because you’re the son of a clerk, and I’m not supposed to want to be you!” Richard Harris (Gladiator, Harry Potter) is great, as always, and Michael Wincott (The Doors, Robin Hood) gives a brief but memorable performance.

Being a period piece, the locations and sets are both beautiful and dark – from the hopeless dungeons of Chateau d’If to the elaborate and colourful mansion of Monte Cristo. The costumes are equally detailed and provide a level of realism that lets you truly believe that the characters are living in 19th century France. It’s unfortunate that the film didn’t do as well as it could have, especially considering the cost of creating such incredible sets and clothing.

The writing is as beautiful as the scenery. There are so many fantastic lines in this film I’m tempted to list most of them here. I’ll try to restrain myself and let you experience them for yourself. I would like to read the book to see how much dialogue was taken directly from Dumas’ writing. Jay Wolpert created the screenplay from the novel. Who is Jay Wolpert? Well he just happens to be the same writer who developed many of the terrific lines from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. It’s clear to see why the dialogue alone is worth watching The Count of Monte Cristo.

The film has been transferred to DVD in 1.85:1 Anamorphic video and boy does it look good. The colors are vibrant and crisp with very few artefacts and little blurring. Sadly there is no DTS track, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio does a superb job nonetheless. The combination of both audio and video make the scene where Monte Cristo makes his first appearance simply breathtaking.

Sets, costumes, actors, video and sound aside, it’s the story that makes this film so enjoyable. This is the first, and possibly only time I’ve ever been inspired to read 19th century French literature because of a movie. After a little research though, I discovered that Dumas is responsible for another familiar tale, The Three Musketeers. I’m sure some of my readers are already aware of this, but it was news to me. I’m definitely going to start reading his stuff. If this film is any indication, I’m sure I’m going to thoroughly enjoy reading The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Count of Monte Cristo gets 9 rapiers (out of 10).

Swashbuckling trivia for ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’.