(rated PG-13, 131 mins.) The year is 1814 when Napoleon gives Edmnd Dantes (James Caviezel) a letter to deliver that will eventually frame him in connection with Edmund’s best friend, Fernand Montego (Guy Pearce). When Fernand turns on Edmund partly because of childhood revenge involving a “whistle and a pony” and partly adulthood revenge involving a girl, Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk), Edmund spends fourteen years in prison. During his time in a dungeon of Chateau D’if, he meets his mentor Faria (Richard Harris) who makes an entrance like no other, lightening and stealing the otherwise dismal circumstances. Over the years Faria tutors Edmund from a simpleton to a worldly intellect of warrior-philosophy. When Edmund is again free, however, he doesn’t forget his enemies. His logic of good vs. evil has been sidetracked by one thing: Revenge. Disguised as the Count of Monte Cristo alias, Edmund plans to accomplish just that. Part “Shawshank Redemption” part swashbuckling throwback to the movies of yesteryear with love triangles, damsels and sword fights, The Count of Monte Cristo translates to over the top entertainment. Caviezel knows the meaning of leading man making this the role that will make him a household name while at the same time reminding us of Guy Pearce’s capabilities. Whether the underdog in “L A Confidential” or the dark side “Memento” (like this villain role of the sexy but destructive Fernand), Pearce is a true movie star. The third act twists and the upbeat tempo of the ever changing plot give this great Alexandre Dumas novel a run for its money on screen.
