By: debbie lynn elias
Probably best remembered for his lavish disaster, “Waterworld”, director Kevin Reynolds admirably redeems himself with this lavish, seemingly spare-no-expense production of “The Count of Monte Cristo.” With exacting precision, staggering attention to detail, exquisite location selection and costuming, opulence, just the right touch of humor and all those fine elements of jealousy, betrayal, greed and vengeance, not to mention, swashbuckling, dueling, murder and sunken treasure, too, Reynolds breathes new life into the time honored Alexandre Dumas literary classic of the same name.
Somewhere deep in your mind, you may recall the tale of Edmond Dantes, a commoner with a kind heart working as a sailor, who is framed by several members of the aristocracy on the trumped up charge of treason for assisting the exiled Napoleon escape from the Isla of Elba. In a departure from the Dumas version, however, the primary conspirator, Fernand Mondego, is not merely a nobleman, but Edmond’s best friend since childhood. While seemingly historically impossible for nobles and commoners to mix and mingle in friendship, this minor deviation by screenwriter Jay Wolpert only enhances the story, adding increased depth and passion to the characters and the action itself.
As the saying goes, politics makes strange bedfellows, and even in Dumas’ day, this was no exception. Entangling the politically ambitious Villefort in his web of deceit and destruction so that he might have Edmond’s beautiful fiancé Mercedes for his own, Mondego’s efforts prove successful and Dantes is sent off to life in prison at Chateau D’If. Needless to say, the plot thickens when Villefort reports to Mercedes and Edmond’s father that Edmund is dead, pushing Mercedes into the arms of her other “friend”, Mondego.
Meanwhile, Edmond is in his own living hell at Chateau D’If. Run by the villainous Dorleac whose idea of fun is to beat the prisoners on the anniversary of their incarceration, Edmond is driven to the point of insanity with an insatiability for revenge against those that left him for dead. At the end of his rope after eight years of imprisonment, salvation comes in the form of Abbe Faria, a soldier turned priest who pops up through the rock flooring in Edmond’s cell. Unlike Edmond, Faria is a cheerful and wise old soul who has kept his mind, body, and hope for freedom alive by digging an escape tunnel. Unfortunately he was a bit directionally challenged and instead of digging out, dug up, running into Edmond. But everything happens for a reason and this bump in the road is no exception as Faria enlists Edmond in his escape efforts. In exchange for Edmond’s conversation and able bodied assistance, Faria tutors the illiterate Edmond in reading, writing, economics, history, politics, mathematics, physical and mental arts, and swashbuckling, giving him hope, life, mental fortitude and, oh yes, a map to buried treasure.
After another five years, Edmond eventually escapes (without a doubt still one of the most astonishing and adventuresome ever conceived) and meets up with pirates and in particular, Jacopo, who becomes his servant, and true friend, for life. After recovering the buried treasure off the Isla of Monte Cristo, Edmond reinvents himself as the Count, using his extraordinary wealth to re-enter the world, reclaim his life and exact revenge on those that stripped him of all that is human.
Certain to transform Jim Caveziel from just a good actor into top bill romantic leading man, his portrayal of Edmond is nothing short of breathtaking, convincingly transforming from the innocent illiterate into a swashbuckling, educated and worldly nobleman with the hardened resolve of the prison granite, all the while mesmerizing you with his quiet strength, elegance and mystery. Guy Pearce as Mondego brings a pompous, weasley wickedness to the role that surpasses anything one could have imagined when reading the novel. James Frain gives a nice turn as fellow conspirator Villafort while Richard Harris, currently riding high as Professor Dumbledore in”Harry Potter” is once again an absolute delight in his portrayal of Abbe Friar. The real surprise here is Luis Guzman as Jacopo. With a flair for dead pan delivery and a touch of overacting, Guzman provides light-hearted relief, and a little bit of conscience, at just the right moment. As he so aptly states to Edmond, “I have sworn to protect you. Even if it means protecting you from yourself.”
Filmed on location in Ireland and Malta with grottos, chateaus, fortresses, sweeping estates, seascapes and prisons, Reynolds and cinematographer Andrew Dunn do a remarkable job of giving the film an 18th century realism. The prison sequences are especially powerful and gripping, almost letting you smell the stench in the air and feel the cold roughness of the stone floor on which Edmond sleeps. The one disappointment though – not enough swordplay. The raw emotion and choreography between Caveziel and Pearce (and their stunt doubles) in their one-on-one duels is so high energy and exciting that you find yourself wanting more. Far superior to the 1934 Robert Donat version, like the book itself, the 2002 version of”Monte Cristo” is certain to become a classic for the ages.
