The Count of Monte Cristo

original novel written by Alexandre Dumas Père

directed by Kevin Reynolds

starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, Dagmara Dominiczyk

I thought about writing a ten-word review of this film. It would read:

Long, detailed, vengeance-fuelled, unlikely story with sword fighting.

The story that makes this film is played out in three parts. Initially we are presented with an average sailor-man, Edmund Dantes, working hard to secure a living and marry his sweetheart. There is nothing remarkable about this first section apart from a chance meeting with an incarcerated, revolution-plotting, dethroned Emperor Napoleon. And then hits the first twist.

And so the film continues, with long, drawn-out storyline covering the life of Dantes and his road of self-discovery, self-improvement and eventual aggrandisement. One wonders whether sections of the story could perhaps have been assumed and left to the viewer’s imagination rather than adding to the final viewing time of nearly two and a half hours! However, as the third section of the storyline emerges, one feels a familiarity and sympathy with the now vengeance-bent Dantes as he goes about changing his identity and entering polite society as the Count of Monte Cristo.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to work out how the film will end. Despite the potentially powerful moral commentary this film could offer on the subjects of vengeance and forgiveness, its writers and producers (who are undoubtedly American or at least deliberately writing for American, ‘happy-ending’ audiences) just could not help themselves. We are left with a final picture of the found-out Dantes at peace with himself, accompanied once more by his sweetheart, pledging a future of benevolence and grace.

Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce and Richard Harris do a good job of their respective characters and manage to create the tension-filled relationships that are necessary to sustain the storyline. As ever, the choice of a brunette always makes for an appealing leading lady (in my opinion) and Dagmara Dominczyk has done nothing to harm her growing reputation as an actress. The soundtrack was rather anonymous and could perhaps have added something.

Despite its many weaknesses and frustratingly slow pace, The Count of Monte Cristo is a strangely endearing character and the story constructed around him just about holds the viewers attention. I would love to see a much shorter rendering of this story, or a version that worked harder to play on the psychological and moral tensions that simply weren’t done justice.