A swordplay caper

Arthur J Pais

The celluloid adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Kevin Reynolds, met with serious doubts about its box office appeal.

Could Reynolds, after Robinhood: Prince of Thieves [starring Kevin Costner], conjure up decent cinematic fare?

He does. Then again, he doesn't.

The film treads no new ground. Despite its shortcomings, The Count of Monte Cristo packs in several interesting performances, splendid swordplay and plenty of laughs.

Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line) plays Edmond Dantes, who is exiled to the island prison of Monte Cristo. Betrayed and humiliated, he devises a plan to bring the real traitors to book. Dantes reinvents himself as The Count of Monte Cristo, with more than a bit of help from his friends --- his sidekick Jacopo (Luis Guzman) and a priest he meets in prison, Faria (Richard Harris).

Although Caviezel brings out the anguish and is a nimble-footed treat in the sword fight sequences, his performance lacks the spark that sets screens ablaze. As his disloyal comrade who steals his fiancée (the ravishing Polish actress, Dagmara Dominczyk), Guy Pearce overacts in parts. But he delivers the goods.

Richard Harris, as Faria --- who boosts Dantes' morale, coaches him in the finer points of swordplay and unwittingly provides him a daring means of escape --- puts in an engaging performance. The septuagenarian Harris shows no sign of slowing down --- The Count of Monte Cristo is his third film in 10 months. His scenes with Caviezel are the highlights of the film. Their first encounter and the repartee they share are truly enjoyable.

Guzman, with his exaggerated gestures and buffoonery, manages to create one of the best comic performances in recent months. The rousing confrontation between Dantes and his unfaithful friend offer high voltage drama.

The film opened to mild box office numbers in its first weekend. But word-of-mouth publicity pushed it to the third spot in the US Top Ten just behind Black Hawk Down and Snow Dogs.

The film certainly will not be as big as Robinhood. But trade pundits predict that it could earn a respectable $125 million worldwide.