The Da Vinci Code
Screenplay written by: Akiva Goldsman based on the novel by Dan
Brown
Actors: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Paul
Bettany, Alfred Molina
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rated: PG-13 (Disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic
material)
Harvard symbologist, Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), is
lured into the investigation of the brutal and mysterious murder of
the elderly curator of the Louvre in Paris by Captain Bezu Fache
(Jean Reno) who is faced with a baffling cipher that the victim
left in his own blood on the floor. Summoned to her dead
grandfather’s side, the grieving Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), a
noted cryptologist, joins with Langdon to find his murderer despite
the fact that Captain Fache is convinced that the curator’s
memorandum to meet with Professor Langdon earlier in the day is no
coincidence.
The Da Vinci Code
Screenplay written by: Akiva Goldsman based on the novel by Dan Brown
Actors: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rated: PG-13 (Disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material)
Harvard symbologist, Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), is lured into the investigation of the brutal and mysterious murder of the elderly curator of the Louvre in Paris by Captain Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) who is faced with a baffling cipher that the victim left in his own blood on the floor. Summoned to her dead grandfather’s side, the grieving Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), a noted cryptologist, joins with Langdon to find his murderer despite the fact that Captain Fache is convinced that the curator’s memorandum to meet with Professor Langdon earlier in the day is no coincidence.
Fleeing arrest for the murder, Langdon and Sophie embark on a carefully observed trail of clues that begins with the discovery that the late curator was associated with the actual secret society of the Priory of Sion. Unknowingly watched and pursued from Paris to London and beyond by a deranged monk (Paul Bettany) from the secretive Opus Dei Catholic organization, as well as by anonymous power-brokers apparently sanctioned by the Vatican, Langdon and Neveu follow a labyrinth of decoded clues spanning thousands of years to discover the historical truth that many will commit murder to keep from ever becoming known.
He Said:
For conspiracy theorists who love intrigue and the concept of secret societies that determine history and hold the strings like puppet-masters throughout time, this is great stuff no matter how preposterous the plot elements might be. O.K., I’m definitely in the minority of humans the world-over who didn’t read the novel, but I’d suggest that makes the movie experience of watching “The Da Vinci Code” untainted to some extent. It was definitely fast moving but so full of convenient symbolism that furthered the plot that I couldn’t help but feel that the proverbial trail thinned out too much by the last scenes.
Still, it was an intriguing film that certainly challenged my mind equally with entertainment quotient even if the extraordinary and brilliantly promoted media hype made it nearly impossible for the film to live up to expectations. Speaking of expectations, I never thought that Tom Hanks acting could be upstaged by anyone, but the brilliant casting of Paul Bettany as the deranged albino monk, Silas and Audrey Tautou as the vulnerable and beautiful Sophie made their contributions do just that. Putting the intriguing story aside, The Da Vinci Code is definitely worth seeing if only for those performances.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
6 for script: Fast moving and suspenseful, though revelations were sometimes a little too convenient.
7 for direction: Ron Howard had his hands full with so many plot elements to keep present in the viewers mind.
7 for acting: Hanks, 7, Bettany and Tautou 8, others 6.
6 for plot: A bit convoluted, but interestingly.
7 for entertainment value: Too topical and entertaining not to see it.
6.6 overall
She Said:
I doubt if I am the first to coin the phrase “faction” to describe the blending of a fictional story based on obscure historical facts and locations that feigns truth. Undoubtedly, that well-done literary device is what makes this film based on Dan Brown’s novel so absorbing. By the time Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen) said to Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), “We have observed history. We are in history now,” I was so enthralled and invested by the weaving of known history into the story that I had almost forgotten the fictional aspect of it all (just as many have done based upon this week’s national and international articles in response to the premiere of The Da Vinci Code). Dan Brown and Ron Howard made it easy see how the suppositions in the storyline that challenge dogmas and purpose of religious orders and doctrines could effortlessly become beliefs, and/or challenge those beliefs, no matter what your religious orientation. Having read the novel, this must-see is as true to the book as any novel adapted to celluloid in my memory.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
8 for script: Novel distilled down well for film.
8 for direction: A tough challenge met well.
8 for acting: Everyone very good.
8 for plot: Mind boggling at times, but in a good way.
8 for entertainment value: Mostly worthy of the hype.
8.0 overall
