The Popkorn Junkie :: The Count of Monte Cristo

"The Count of Monte Cristo" boils down to revenge--sweet, sweet vengeance. Based on the story from Alexandre Dumas, this may be the most effective and enjoyable adaptation yet, leagues better than that old Errol Flynn disaster. Plus, Guy Pearce is just a great actor.

Edmund Dantes (Jim Caviezel) and Guy Pearce (Mondego) were the best of friends until Mondego betrayed him, which ultimately to his imprisonment. For years, Dantes stayed in prison, until one day a man named Faria (Richard Harris) tunneled up into his cell (he had meant to tunnel out but dug in the wrong direction). After they meet, Dantes agrees to help Faria complete a fool proof tunnel, and Faria agrees to help Dantes learn some key sword fighting and martial arts so he may finally have his day of revenge. And, when they escape, that's exactly what happens, boiling down into an incredible fight sequence, much like that of "Rob Roy".

Jim Caviezel does a wonderful job is displaying the emotions of a man with such intense revenge on his mind, and Guy Pearce is fabulous as the seedy and ruthless Mondego. Richard Harris brings a touch of class to a role which could have otherwise been wasted with a lesser actor. And, Luis Guzman brings some much needed comic relief as Jacobo.

Director Kevin Reynolds really let me down with "Waterworld", after doing a fairly decent job with "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". However, his latest effort brings back memories of the old Kevin Costner adventure film and even trumps it to some extent. The performances are what make this film so wonderful to watch--the chemistry between Caviezel and Pearce onscreen is kinetic and, as I said before, Luis Guzman is delightful. The only slightly disappointing performance comes from Dogmara Dominczyk as Mercedes, the love interest. She is beautiful, but she sure can't act.

I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good action/adventure film and I would go so far as to say that this is the best action/adventure film I have seen in the last year, at least. The ending is phenomenal and we don't get bored waiting until it finally arrives. This is quality suspense and quality cinema.

-- Billy Ray ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

James ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

Wow. This is how you tell a story. James Caviezel and Guy Pearce are excellent in their roles. Richard Harris also gives a brilliant performance. The only qualm I have is that the payoff of the movie wasn't as big as I thought it should have been. It just seemed like something was missing in that arena. Great movie nonetheless.

Patsy ( 3 out of 4 pops )

"The Count of Monte Cristo" is a good old swashbuckling adventure. The sword fighting and the plotting were great. I do wish though that the film had been longer-- things just seemed to fall into place too quickly. The audience didn't quite get to savor the delicious revenge scheme that unfolded so neatly on the screen-- perhaps the novel might be worth reading for that reason. Anyway, Jim Caviezel was awesome as the Count of Monte Cristo (after seeing "Angel Eyes" I had thought he was utterly useless-- but I've changed my mind) and Guy Pearce (as always) is great too. If you're in the mood for an adventure, don't hesitate to see this movie.

Mike ( 3 1/2 out of 4 )

"The Count of Monte Cristo" is a very good film version of the classic novel. The movie has a great sense of adventure and doesn't drag a bit for a 2 1/2 hour long movie. It reminded me of the older adventure/revenge films that were so much fun to watch. Guy Pearce is excellent as the jealous, scheming friend and Jim Caviezel is so good as the heroic good guy. Also, Richard Harris puts in his usual unique greatness. It's so refreshing to see an exciting adventure movie with good acting instead of the all-so-often boring Hollywood attempts at this genre. "The Count of Monte Cristo" is also a good movie to bring young teens to.