Count of Monte Cristo

Theatrical Release Date: 2002 01 25 (USA)

UPC: 786936800517

Studio: Touchstone/Disney

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Questionable for Children, Sexual Situations]

Summary: The classic tale of swashbuckling adventure by the senior Alexandre Dumas comes to the screen in its umpteenth incarnation, this time from Kevin Reynolds, directing his first feature in five years. James Caviezel stars as Edmond Dantes, an honest sailor who plans to marry his beautiful lover Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk). Edmond doesn't know that his best friend Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) secretly desires Mercedes for himself and schemes with fallen aristocrat Villefort (James Frain) to frame Edmond for a crime he didn't commit. Sentenced to life on the remote island prison of D'If, Edmond becomes consumed by plans for revenge. Thirteen years pass and he meets a fellow innocent convict, Abbe Faria (Richard Harris), who becomes Edmond's mentor in swordfighting, finance, and escape, confiding that a vast treasure awaits a discoverer on the island of Monte Cristo. Eventually, Edmond is able to get away using Faria's tunnels and makes his way to Monte Cristo, where he retrieves the fortune and uses it to make himself over as the wealthy "Count of Monte Cristo." With the help of a loyal sidekick (Luis Guzman), Edmond insinuates himself into French royalty and sets about getting revenge on Villefort and Fernand, who is now married to Mercedes. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) also stars Michael Wincott and Albie Woodington. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Category: Adventure

Features: 5 Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Filmmakers Including Alternate Final Duel
"The Napoleonic World" - Production Design Featurette
"En Garde" - Multi-Angle Sword Fighting Feature
"The Pen" - Retrospective On Author Alexandre Dumas
"Adapting A Classic" - Screenwriting Segment
"The Clash of Steel" - Stunt Choreography Piece
Layer-By-Layer - Interactive Sound Design Feature
Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Reynolds

Count of Monte Cristo

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 09/13/2011

Audio: DHMA null, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 131 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Karl Williams

A return to form for superlative action director Kevin Reynolds, who isn't hampered by the two most common drawbacks to his work: dumb scripts and the presence of his one-time friend Kevin Costner in the cast. This time, Reynolds draws creative water from the well of a classic adventure novel and casts excellent actors Guy Pearce and James Caviezel in the leads (as well as terrific supporting players Richard Harris and Luis Guzman in smaller roles). Pearce in particular chews up the scenery with a witheringly fey, callow performance that challenges the best villain turns of Tim Roth. The overall result is a solid, efficiently crafted swashbuckler. The director also remains consistent in tone and theme, a major flaw of his previous big-budget efforts such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and Waterworld (1995), two pictures that displayed moments of real grace and inventiveness, but which were seriously hampered by Costner's wooden acting and too many boneheaded attempts to play to the cheap seats with ironic one-liners, foolish plot ideas, and anachronistic humor. Reynolds is going for a pulpy feeling in most of his work and he finally achieves a tangible Classic Comics flavor here, successfully mounting scenes that would have played as unintentionally hilarious in his earlier work -- such as the Count's arrival at his own "coming out" party via hot air balloon -- but here achieve a giddy showiness that urges the audience to join in the fun. That's not to say that the film succeeds on all levels; distracting indeed are some rather modern lines of dialogue and the fact that it takes only a goatee and longer hair for the Count to disguise himself from those who have known him his entire life. Fans of Superman should have little problem with this, however, and that gets to the heart of the film; Alexandre Dumas isn't exactly William Shakespeare, so filmmakers can be forgiven for taking poetic license in adapting the Frenchman's purple prose. Especially when they've done so this well. The Count of Monte Cristo is a fine and worthy B-picture in the best tradition of its genre. One longs to see what Reynolds could do with the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert Louis Stevenson or Jack London. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Helen McCrory  Actor 
Gary Barber  Producer 
Roger Birnbaum  Producer 
Kevin Reynolds  Director 
Jonathan Glickman  Producer 
Ed Shearmur  Composer (Music Score) 
Chris Brigham  Executive Producer 
Jay Wolpert  Screenwriter 
James Caviezel  Actor 
Guy Pearce  Actor 
Dagmara Dominczyk  Actor 
Richard Harris  Actor 
Luis Guzman  Actor 
James Frain  Actor 
Henry Cavill  Actor 
Albie Woodington  Actor 
Michael Wincott  Actor 
Alex Norton  Actor 
Freddie Jones  Actor 

Country: USA