In the early 1800s a French sailor makes a daring escape from wrongful imprisonment to exact a deadly revenge upon his enemies with the help of a lost fortune.
Dumas' novel has inspired many film & television versions & here is another cinematic adaptation, courtesy of Kevin Reynolds. Thankfully he is not accompanied by Kevin Costner as it is James Caviezel who takes the role of the hero Dantes with Guy Pearce as the villainous Fernand. As always with literary adaptations fans of the novel may find some changes here but the film remains an attempt to capture the swashbuckling feel of such earlier adaptations of The Man In The Iron Mask & The Three Musketeers also by Alexandre Dumas.
It goes without saying that Richard Harris is excellent as the incarcerated mentor to the would be Count & the rest of the cast are also good. James Caviezel handles the transformation of Dantes well from innocence to despair, revenge & finally redemption. Guy Pearce chews the scenery with relish & Freddie Jones is also very good in his supporting role. Luis Guzman, one of the best actors of recent times seems a little out of place as the comic relief in this 19th century tale & Dagmara Dominczyk the leading lady is OK in the undemanding role of the love interest.
Some of the best sequences are those in the prison, Chateau D' If. From despair to the hint of hope brought about by Richard Harris' character we get a true feeling of the change in Dantes. His tutuorship is reminiscent of the mentor/student relationship between Anthony Hopkins & Antonio Banderas in the superior swashbuckler The Mask Of Zorro. This is where the film really succeeds, if Dantes' incarceration was not handled right then the rest of the film would have fallen apart.
Although entertaining this film is not as captivating as it should be. The scene in which the Count arrives before his stunned guests hints at the lavishness this film lacks. You don't really get a true sense of the opulent world Dantes now inhabits as a contrast to his years behind bars. Also maybe more should have been made of the adventures between his escape & the beginnings of his revenge. There are some well done if all to brief swordfights & the direction is good if nothing remarkable not helped by the score which is pretty forgettable, not rousing enough for a film of this nature.
Overall this is an entertaining if slightly flat tale of revenge with good performance from the leads but not the rip-roaring historical romp it could have been.
Dumas' novel has inspired many film & television versions & here is another cinematic adaptation, courtesy of Kevin Reynolds. Thankfully he is not accompanied by Kevin Costner as it is James Caviezel who takes the role of the hero Dantes with Guy Pearce as the villainous Fernand. As always with literary adaptations fans of the novel may find some changes here but the film remains an attempt to capture the swashbuckling feel of such earlier adaptations of The Man In The Iron Mask & The Three Musketeers also by Alexandre Dumas.
It goes without saying that Richard Harris is excellent as the incarcerated mentor to the would be Count & the rest of the cast are also good. James Caviezel handles the transformation of Dantes well from innocence to despair, revenge & finally redemption. Guy Pearce chews the scenery with relish & Freddie Jones is also very good in his supporting role. Luis Guzman, one of the best actors of recent times seems a little out of place as the comic relief in this 19th century tale & Dagmara Dominczyk the leading lady is OK in the undemanding role of the love interest.
Some of the best sequences are those in the prison, Chateau D' If. From despair to the hint of hope brought about by Richard Harris' character we get a true feeling of the change in Dantes. His tutuorship is reminiscent of the mentor/student relationship between Anthony Hopkins & Antonio Banderas in the superior swashbuckler The Mask Of Zorro. This is where the film really succeeds, if Dantes' incarceration was not handled right then the rest of the film would have fallen apart.
Although entertaining this film is not as captivating as it should be. The scene in which the Count arrives before his stunned guests hints at the lavishness this film lacks. You don't really get a true sense of the opulent world Dantes now inhabits as a contrast to his years behind bars. Also maybe more should have been made of the adventures between his escape & the beginnings of his revenge. There are some well done if all to brief swordfights & the direction is good if nothing remarkable not helped by the score which is pretty forgettable, not rousing enough for a film of this nature.
Overall this is an entertaining if slightly flat tale of revenge with good performance from the leads but not the rip-roaring historical romp it could have been.