"The Count of Monte Cristo"

Jim Caviezel
Guy Pearce
Richard Harris
James Frain
Dagmara Domincyzk
Michael Wincott
Luis Guzman
Henry Cavill




PG13           131min           2002


“The Count of Monte Cristo” is a tale of betrayal, adventure and revenge. When the dashing and guileless Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) is betrayed by his best friend (Pearce) and wrongly imprisoned, he becomes consumed by thoughts of vengeance. After a miraculous escape, he transforms himself into the mysterious and wealthy Count of Monte Cristo, insinuates himself into the French nobility and puts his cunning plan of revenge in action.

Based on the book of the same name by Alexander Dumas, “The Count of Monte Cristo” keeps the basic themes and the overall plot of the book but changes some of the major events from the book. You can’t use this version to pass your test. It is still entertaining and exciting to watch.

Caviezel and Pearce play off each other well enough to believe that they are best of friends in the beginning and total enemies in the end. Pearce comes across with an underlying anger that is believable through out the film. Caviezel transformation from a young man naive to the world into a man that has seen the world at its worst and embraces those darker impulses is subtler.

An outstanding cast featuring Richard HarrisLuis Guzman and Dagmara Domincyzk, the woman at the heart of this conflict, supports them. Richard Harris in one of his final performance is Dantes’s mentor in the Chateau d’If. Luis Guzman as “his man for life”, Jacopo is Dantes’s conscience. Dagmara Domincyzk is stunning as Mercedes and Dante’s one true love.

This re-imaging is more accessible to the modern youth than the book is. Having first read this in the ninth grade “The Count of Monte Cristo” has always been a favorite of mine but his a complicated read. I was always intrigued with the betrayal and revenge part of the book, and how it transformed a naïve young man into a harden survivor. This film completely captures what’s in the book with out being completely faithful to it.

I give it 4/5 Gs.

"High Crimes"

Ashley Judd
Morgan Freeman
Jim Caviezel
Adam Scott
Amanda Peet
Bruce Davison
Tom Bower
Juan Carlos Hernandez
Michael Gaston
Jude Ciccolella
Emilio Rivera

PG13           115min           2002


“High Crimes” is about what starts out as a case of mistaken identity turns into a case full of conspiracy as a highly successful lawyer’s (Judd) tries to get her husband acquitted of military court martial; to help and co-chair her husband’s case she hires a alcoholic former JAG, Morgan Freeman.

This was a film that I never watched and it goes to show that some film you can miss and know the entire plot. This was a very predictable film with no punch and it was almost boring. The only thing about this film for me that was watch-able was finding out, “how the bad guy is done in”.

Morgan Freeman just phoned in this performance. It was like his heart wasn’t really in this one. Maybe he knew the script was bad and did it for the money, I didn’t know but I expected more from Freeman and Judd.

Her performance was wooden, hollow and it hurt that her character was ill conceived. A woman that successful should never have been taken in that easily. Clues that were staring at her face she ignored. When she identified and confronted her husband she believed lies full of holes big enough to drive a Mac truck through.

The conspiracy concocted by the government is about as believable as there are bridges made out of gold. It was amateur on display something that the government isn’t in the habit of doing. Where suppose to believe that the government would allow and leave that many things to chance. Would do the moviemaker’s think his audience was kindergarteners?

From the opening credits until the end “High Crimes” is stumbling in the dark. You know where they were trying to go and do but it comes off a little out of focus. They never quite hit the mark. This is one that you only watch if you are a fan of the stars.

I give it a 1/5 Gs.