“The Count of Monte Cristo” is a swashbuckling adventure filled with mystery, romance and revenge.
The movie is based on the 1846 novel written by Alexander Dumas, who also wrote The Three Muskeeters and The Man in the Iron Mask.
Jim Caviezel plays Edmond Dantes who is betrayed by his best friend, Fernand Mondego, played by Guy Pearce. Fernand lusts after Mercedes, played by Dagmara Dominczyk, and because he cannot have her or anything else that Edmond has, he hatches a plan to get rid of him.
Edmond is a young and naCB/ve sailor who is unknowingly thrust into the middle of a politically charged climate of post-Napoleon France. Because of information he holds, he is accused of treason and carted off to a prison known as the Chateau D’If. He spends the next 13 years in the miserable prison, but one day fellow prisoner Abbe Faria (Richard Harris) discovers him by mistakenly tunneling into Dantes’ cell. Faria and Edmond form a bond and Faria teaches all he knows to Edmond in exchange for help to dig a tunnel so that he may escape.
Eventually Edmond escapes and with his newfound knowledge and treasure which he has gained, he is ready to take revenge on those who betrayed him. Faria had revealed to him the treasure of Monte Cristo and schooled him in the ways of nobility, therefore Dantes was able to create a new identity for himself as a count with the sole purpose of revenge.
Caviezel is cast perfectly in his role and transforms completely from an innocent young man to a man thirsting for revenge. Pearce also is cast well as the traitorous Mondego.
The movie was shot on the southeast coast of Ireland and Malta and the sets are truly magnificent. The sword fighting scenes are also amazing and will leave you awestruck.
“The Count of Monte Cristo” will have you on the edge of your seat. The sets fit the movie and show the opulence and richness of the period. The sword fights are excellent and add to the adventure of the movie.
The movie has comedy in it, especially the relationship between Edmond and his loyal friend Jacopo. The movie is action packed and a true adventure.
Overall, “The Count of Monte Cristo” proved to be a movie packing adventure, romance and sword fighting. What else could you ask for?
