'The Count of Monte Cristo' is a remake of the Alexander Dumas tale by the same name. The film stars Jim Caviezel as Dantes, a sailor who is falsely accused of treason by his best friend Fernand (Guy Pearce), who wants Dantes' girlfriend Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk) for himself. Dantes is imprisoned on the island prison of Chateau D'lf for 13 years, where he plots revenge against those who betrayed him. With the help of another innocent prisoner (Richard Harris), he escapes the island and proceeds to transform himself into the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo as part of his plan to exact revenge.
Now for The Zone's Eye View
By Laura Alber
The lavish scenery, dramatic acting and wonderful score all help make "The Count of Monte Cristo" a film worth watching. The talented actors Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce show Hollywood what they're made of in this film. If you only remembered Caviezel from "Frequency" and Pearce from "Memento", you now have another film to refer to when describing their talent. The duo is probably what makes this movie a success, their on screen chemistry as best friends, and then worst enemies is brilliant. Director Kevin Reynolds did a very good job of staying true to the original, and thankfully didn't cast his usual Kevin Costner in the lead. (The team did Waterworld and Robin Hood together)
"The Count" tells an engrossing tale of love, betrayal and revenge. The tale begins with how Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) and Mondego (Guy Pearce) first meet. Dantes is an uneducated but loveable and generous boy and man, while Mondego is a noble, but as a child he always played with Dantes. Their favorite game was "King of the Moment" (which comes into play quite a bit in the film). Even though Mondego had everything as a child, he was always jealous of Edmond because it seemed he always got what he wanted. Mondego was furious as a child when Edmond was happier with his whistle than Mondego was with his new pony. The rivalry was very similar to actual brothers. Mondego always wanted what Edmond had, including his present beautiful girlfriend.
During a tour working on one of the ships, their captain falls ill. Edmond takes charge and heads to the closest island in search for help. The island happens to be "Elbe", the very isle that Napoleon was banished to. The two friends head to shore to look for a doctor, when the find out that the soldiers that are there have been given orders to "shoot first, ask questions later". They spared no hesitation when it came to a possible escape for Napoleon. Luckily, the two were able to explain themselves before being killed by the soldiers and brought their captain to shore. He was in a coma "brain disease" and there wasn't much anyone could do to help. While they were there, Napoleon called Edward aside and asked him to deliver a "harmless" letter to someone when he returned to France.
Not being able to read, and believing Napoleon, Edmond obliged. Unfortunately, Mondego heard the two talking and his jealousy got the best of him.
Edmond Dantes was questioned and then taken to a remote prison isle, where he spent the next 13 years. During his stay, he met a fellow inmate who promised to teach him how to read, write, economics, philosophy and every other subject you could think of along with how to use weapons. Edmond was never very good with the sword, so the old wise teacher taught him everything he knew. All the while they were studying, they were also working on tunneling out of the prison. Edmond lost his faith in God, and could only think of revenge. He finally did manage to escape from the horrible prison and, with the gift of a treasure map from his mentor; he also was able to find a lost treasure that had now been considered a myth since no one had found it yet.
Dantes was now richer than he could have ever imagined, even richer than his old friend Mondego. But, he didn't want to spend the money on building a new life for himself; he wanted to use the money to aid in his revenge plot against all those who put him in jail. Edmond bought a mansion, dressed himself like an aristocrat, and gave himself a title. He would now be known as "The Count of Monte Cristo". Simply having his enemies killed wasn't enough for Dantes; he wanted them to suffer as he had.
The fun of this movie is in Edmonds schemes, and the surprises he finds along the way. Very well put together, and entertaining throughout, the film never suffers for substance. It was very enjoyable to see a period film done so well and with such fine actors. It covers all bases with its characterizations, its timeline and its story. It never deters from the original goal, which is to explain why Dantes wants revenge, and how he does it with each one of his enemies. I would highly recommend this rental. It was definitely entertaining. It didn't hurt that the two lead actors have surpassed what even I expected of them. The Zone rates The Count of Monte Cristo a 7 out of 10. Wonderfully entertaining.
