The bliss of a ‘Monte Cristo’ you can count on
The swashbuckling spirit of Errol Flynn lives on in the guise of look-alike actor Pierre Niney as he dominates the wildly entertaining French-language adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo.” As the novel’s titular antihero, naive sailor Edmond Dantès, Niney endlessly excites by encapsulating the moral ambiguity of an eye for an eye. Vengeance will be his, and not all the love nor riches in the world can deter Edmond from his mission to right the wrong inflicted on him after he’s framed for treason.
As Dumas intended to convey, the immediate gratification Edmond experiences from getting even ultimately cannot quell his conscience. Do his dastardly deeds not make him as evil, or worse, than the three men responsible for him losing everything? Probably, but why should that matter when we’re having so much fun watching Edmond grow a backbone while unleashing his fury upon a world he no longer believes to be fair and just.
It’s a grueling role for Niney (“Frantz”), who shed a tremendous amount of weight to convincingly portray a man who spent 14 years wasting away in the dungeon of the Château d’If, on an Alcatraz-like islet in the Mediterranean. His hair and beard long and scraggly, his cheeks sunken, his legs spindly, Niney personifies a man just one step away from death. The only thing that can save Edmond is a miracle. And behold, it appears in the form of a benevolent and seriously ill abbé (Pierfrancesco Favino) occupying the next cell.
They bond and plot their escape to the island of Monte Cristo on which the holy man claims exists a vast treasure secretly stashed inside a marked cave. You know what happens next if you’ve read the 1300-page novel, originally serialized between 1844 and 1846, or seen any of the 34 previous film and TV dramatizations. And true to the literary source, this iteration lays claim to a labyrinth of schemes intricately designed to sucker Edmond’s trio of betrayers into unwittingly slipping the nooses around their own necks.
Abetted by two worthy young accomplices (Julien De Saint Jean and Anamaria Vartolomei) with ulterior motives of their own, Edmond is deliciously unhurried in his quest, carefully and patiently laying the groundwork for a third-act comeuppance that pays off big time – but at a cost. Most notably, Edmond’s humanity. And Niney is sensational at silently expressing the emptiness of his ruse.
Whether he succeeds or not, the promising future that once awaited him as a ship’s captain has vanished. Nor will retribution reclaim the 20 years he was deprived of his beloved Mercédès (Anaïs Demoustier), who after hearing rumors of Edmond’s death, marries his duplicitous rival, Fernand de Mortcerf (Bastien Bouillon), and bears him a child, Albert (Vassili Schneider). Then, there’s the unforeseen but inevitable collateral damage to the innocents caught in the middle.
You can feel the toll at your core. But the writing-directing team of Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte admirably avoid didacticism by focusing on their appointed mission to ensure our sustained enjoyment of an old-fashioned adventure in which a seriously flawed hero earns our loyalty even if his methods are less than kosher.
La Patellière and Delaporte, who also penned 2023’s two-part rendering of Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers,” are as deeply invested in the look of their film as its content. Assisted by cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc, costume designer Thierry Delettre and production designer Stéphane Taillasson, they’ve crafted a production as aesthetically pleasing as it is morally complex. And shout-outs to perfectly cast villains in Laurent Lafitte’s conniving prosecutor, de Villefort, and Patrick Mille’s vitriolic sea captain, Danglars, the two men colluding with Fernand to send Edmond to prison for the most selfish of reasons.
True, we’re asked to believe the three are clever enough to rig the system against Edmond, yet foolish enough to fall for his increasingly obvious ploy. How can they not see how closely Edmond resembles the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo? It’s the old Superman/Clark Kent device. You either buy into it or you don’t. I’m willing to bet most will. That’s how convincing Niney is in – for what is for him – the role of a lifetime. Sword and dueling pistol at the ready, he does not disappoint.
Oh, what a joy to behold. It instantly takes you back to your childhood, sitting in the balcony at the Saturday matinee, eyes trained on the screen. The aroma of buttered popcorn and eager anticipation in the air, as dashing, rapier-wielding men in tight britches clang steel against steel for the honor and love of an adoring young damsel. And as these duels play out, all you can say is touché!
Movie review
The Count of Monte Cristo
Rated: PG-13 for adventure violence, swordplay and some sensuality
Cast: Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei, Laurent Lafitte, Vassili Schneider, Pierfancesco Favino and Julien de Saint Jean
Directors: Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte
Writers: Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte
Runtime: 178 minutes
Where: In select theaters Jan. 3 before expanding throughout the month
Grade: B+
