Merrick again…


Justin sent in his thoughts after a screening of A MIGHTY HEART [site & trailer here HERE].

For those who haven’t heard, this stars Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl – wife of Daniel Pearl (played in the film by Dan Futterman, the writer of CAPOTE) – a journalist kidnapped in Pakistan back in 2002. His subsequent beheading was videotaped and presented to the world by his abductors. A manhunt for his murderers ensued, resulting in multiple arrests.

Be warned, if you go out looking for more information about Pearl, you’re likely to come across some intensely graphic images/footage of his beheading. So, if you’re at work, have sensitive people around you, or are simply queasy…don’t go searching for more details.

Here’s Justin…

Just caught a screening of "A Mighty Heart", the story of the kidnap and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Now I didn't know much about the film except that it was based on Daniel's wife Mariene Pearls book and just having seen the trailer about a month or so ago wasn't too excited.

The cut I saw was pretty much what I think the theatrical version will be and ran just a little over an hour and a half. Now I'm not gonna get all ploty because most of you should know the story but it's a pretty straighforward investigation centric movie about trying to track down Daniel after he goes out for a meeting and doesn't return.

The cast is all good which has Dan Futterman (writer of "Copote") as Daniel Pearl, Angelina Jolie as his wife Mariane Pearl, the always watchable Will Patton ("Remember The Titans"), and a very great performance by Irfan Kahn as the Captain who really has it out for these terrorist and anyone involved. The problem is that beside Irfan the cast doesn't have alot to do when they could have had plenty. Futterman as Daniel who really shows off some talent in a very small authentic role why he's only in the film a short while in the beginning and then we only catch him in flashbacks throughout. A very pregnant Jolie with a pretty spot on French accent which only slips a few times when she raises her voice gives her best performance in a while. But it doesn't really consist of anything other than looking bug eyed and scared one moment then trying to remain positive like nothing is wrong and thinking about her and Daniel in the past which happens quite a bit the next. She (Jolie) does finally get to show us some raw, pretty heartbreaking emotion in the third act of the film after she is made aware of Daniels murder.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom whom I not too familiar with other than for "Code 46" and "24 Hour Party People" which I thought were both at best just okay films really held my attention throughout. Winterbottom really reminded me of Michael Mann or Paul Greengrasses with "United 93". He's sorta captured the authenticity of this tradegedy, shooting it like a documentary and really setting up the atmosphere which is the most suspenseful part beside the dread of knowing what will happen to Daniel in the end.

I did like the fact that when the tape arrives containing Dainels slaughter we don't see it, only the emotiong of the group of folk watching it. We finally cut to the end when we smash to the tape of Daniel speaking into the video recorder about his life.

My few problems with "A Mighy Heart" is that there's really no reason it exist. It's not that fascinating as a kidnapping film, thriller or biopic. It has really nothing new to offer to any of those genres But I did enjoy it.

It's not a bad film nor is it a great film its just "blah" all the way through.....

Justin