Taglines: Prepare for adventure. Count on revenge.
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 is a 2002 adventure drama film produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, and Jonathan Glickman that was directed by Kevin Reynolds. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, the film is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Alexandre Dumas, père and stars Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, and Richard Harris.
It follows the general plot of the novel (the main storyline of imprisonment and revenge is preserved); but many aspects, including the relationships between major characters and the ending, have been changed, simplified, or removed; and action scenes have been added. The film met with modest box office success.
Cast and Characters
— Jim Caviezel as Edmond Dantès, Zatara, the Count of Monte Cristo
— Guy Pearce as Fernand Mondego
— James Frain as J.F. Villefort
— Dagmara Dominczyk as Mercedès Mondego (née Herrera)
— Luis Guzmán as Jacopo
— Richard Harris as Abbé Faria
— Michael Wincott as Armand Dorleac, prison warden
— Henry Cavill as Albert Mondego
— Albie Woodington as Danglars
— JB Blanc as Luigi Vampa
— Alex Norton as Napoléon
— Patrick Godfrey as Morrell
— Freddie Jones as Colonel Villefort
— Helen McCrory as Valentina Villefort
— Christopher Adamson as Maurice
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Directed by: Kevin Reynolds
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Dagmara Dominczyk, Luis Guzmán, Michael Wincott, Helen McCrory, Henry Cavill, Albie Woodington
Screenplay by: Alexandre Dumas, Jay Wolpert
Production Design by: Mark Geraghty
Cinematography by: Mark Geraghty
Film Editing by: Stephen Semel, Christopher Womack
Costume Design by: Tom Rand
Set Decoration by: John Byrne
Art Direction by: Conor Devlin
Music by: Ed Shearmur
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for adventure violence/swordplay and some sensuality.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: January 25, 2002
Visits: 283
