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Jim Caviezel stars as Edmond Dantes, a rather poor and uneducated man who has a life that his rich friend, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) envies. Dantes has just been promoted to captain of his ship after he and his crew returned from a brief, unanticipated stop in Elba, where Napoleon had given Dantes a letter to give to a "friend." Mondego is particularly jealous that Dantes' fiancee is Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk), their childhood friend who has grown into an utterly beautiful woman.

Mondego sets out to destroy Dantes life by telling French officials of the letter, which leads to Dantes' arrest. He is banished in a prison located on an island rather far from the mainland. As the years pass, another prisoner, Faria (Richard Harris), actually tunnels his way into Dantes cell. With his help, Faria believes they can dig to the outer wall, and in return, he will teach Dantes how to read, write, and fight with a sword. As soon as he makes his escape, Dantes plans his vengeance against those who betrayed him.

There's actually a LOT more plot than what I've stated, which probably already sounds hefty, but there are a lot of things I'd rather not give away. While not without some flaws, The Count of Monte Cristo is rousing entertainment and is probably the best period piece adventure in recent years (personally, I found it more enjoyable than The Patriot, Rob Roy, and The Last of the Mohicans).

The film's first seventy minutes represent marvelous entertainment, consistently gaining momentum with every scene that goes by as we grow more and more compelled by the story. The film stumbles only slightly in the third act, when Dantes eventually encounters all those who destroyed his life so many years ago, and sets in motion a plan for his own vengeance. It's in this lengthy segment that a few moments drag (but only a few) and some scenes feel a little hard to swallow (that Pearce's Mondego wouldn't recognize Dantes). The climax feels a little silly, in that seemingly all the lead characters pop out from nowhere to either fight or reveal long-held secrets.

But thankfully, such flaws are only mild and hardly detrimental. This is a well-acted, well-written, and surprisingly well-directed tale of revenge. As Dantes, Caviezel excels, making a believable transformation from a kind-hearted, innocent man to one whose heart has been hardened through so many years. Guy Pearce chews the scenery quite well as Mondego; he seems to be having a great time playing the greedy antagonist. It's nice to see that Pearce, who usually plays likable characters (as in L.A. Confidential and The Time Machine), is up to the task of giving us a villain to hiss at.

The other performances aren't quite as vital, though Richard Harris is good as Faria, and Luis Guzman is often hilarious as Dantes' right-hand man (the scene where Guzman tells Dantes how to handle the massive amounts of gold they just found is the biggest laugh I've had all year). Dagmara Dominczyk is pretty decent, though her acting is mostly overshadowed by her beauty, a back-handed compliment, I suppose.

The Count of Monte Cristo actually doesn't feature that much in the way of adrenaline-pumping action. Despite all the claims this is a swashbuckler, there are only three swordfights (and one knifefight), and each of these scenes last no longer than maybe two minutes. But the appeal of this film isn't in the action, it's watching a plot that unfolds with little twists and turns that, though often expected, engaged me because I cared about the situation and the fate of the characters.

There was obviously a lot of work put into the way this film looks. The cinematography is gorgeous and the sets are magnificent, with splendor I have rarely seen rendered so well in period pieces. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds, who may yet have a career again after his critical disaster, Waterworld (which actually wasn't half-bad). Highly recommended, The Count of Monte Cristo is great fun all the way.
**** 1/2 out of *****

What a relief that this latest adaptation of a Dumas novel strays from the usual clichés and redundancy of bringing a classic work of literature to the screen, coming out as a sturdy, well-guided costume drama that combines action, intensity, passion, and most importantly, revenge. With a script that keeps much of the novel's intricacies intact, a cast befitting of their roles, and a director who keeps things interesting at all times, this is one swashbuckling adventure that pleases in all fields.

The story centers around Edmund Dantes (Jim Caviezel), a sailor from a middle class upbringing in the town of Marseilles. He has a friend, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce), whose father is a wealthy aristocrat; despite his rich lifestyle, Mondego still harbors a slight jealousy for Dantes, who has just been promoted to captain of his vessel, allowing him the opportunity to marry his longtime love, Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk). Overcome by envy, Mondego concocts a vicious plan with the equally jealous first mate of Dantes' boat that lands a wrongfully accused Dantes in the Chateau d'If for more than a decade.

During his years of imprisonment, Dantes' resolve is strengthened by brutal beatings, and by his friendship with fellow prisoner Faria (Richard Harris), who teaches Dantes to read and write, the articulate moves of swordplay, and offers him the location of a long-lost treasure that would give him the means to exact his revenge on those who have wronged him. Faria's death provides Dantes the method of escape he needs, and once out, he begins his quest.

The second half of the movie takes the movie to new heights of interest, as Dantes makes his big entrance in Paris as the Count of Monte Cristo, bent on exacting his revenge on Mondego, now married to a repressed, sullen Mercedes, and on Villefort, the police chief who played a role in his wrongful incarceration. Anyone familiar with revenge plots is well aware that this is a dish best served cold, and many will delight in the cooly calculated revelations and confrontations that arise as Dantes's master plan begins to unfold.

Accompanying this feeling of satisfaction is the movie's wondrous appearance and execution. The look and feel of the film drips with the quality of the swashbuckling adventures of yesteryear, with its themes of vengeance and nobility, it's glorious costumes and set design, and a final showdown that provides a slam-bang finish complete with suspense and fist-clenching thrills. Reynolds, and screenwriter Jay Wolpert, have realized the novel for the screen in a manner that is pleasing to the eye and the mind, keeping in touch with everything that has immortalized Dumas' work without reworking key moments to make room for modern artistic influences.

If this weren't enough to please popcorn audiences and literary buffs, the cast is completely remarkable. Jim Caviezel plays Dantes with the conviction of a man wrongfully accused; by the time he escapes prison, we are all for him and his brilliantly conceived plan. His chemistry with leading lady Dagmara Dominczyk is a welcome slice of old-fashioned romance, while his scenes with Guy Pearce provide a nice contrast of nobility and jealousy, which Pearce perfects in his performance as Mondego. Also worthy of noting are the appearances of Richard Harris and Lius Guzman, who provide humorous touches throughout.

More than anything else, this latest big-screen version of "The Count of Monte Cristo" is a wonderful popcorn adventure replete with everything you could possibly ask for in a film of this sort. Overall, it remains faithful enough to its source, and keeps us enlightened and entertained throughout its well-acted, well-directed, well-executed duration. Count on revenge, and then some.

In contrast, Guy Pearce's Fernand is a joy to behold. Pearce takes his character to the extreme, much to the audience's delight. Richard Harris's Abbe Faria is also great to watch.

My only real quibble with the film is the horrid cinematography during the evening scenes, and in some of the prison scenes. Yes, it is supposed to be dark. But the lack of lighting during the opening sequences and the escape scene dampened the excitement. You can't get excited over a fight you can't see. And I was watching this film on a 36" Sony XBR flat screen. If I couldn't see anything, no one can.