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A Mighty Heart

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

"A Mighty Heart" is Michael Winterbottom's gut-wrenching tale, told in  fact-based docu-style drama, that chronicles the events surrounding the disappearance of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) in Pakistan in 2002.  The story immerses the viewer into the bustling and densely populated city of Karachi, with its throbbing multicultural life.

Daniel Pearl was a South Asia bureau chief who investigated the Muslim cleric named Sheikh Gilani, who was possibly tied to the "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid. He is just about to go back home before conducting the interview with Gilani. He waves and smiles as he hopps into a cab, but fails to return
home. From that moment on, his wife Mariane (Angelina Jolie), herself a journalist for French Radio, devotes herself to gathering several government forces to track down his abductors.

Through the arrests, interrogation and betrayal which exposed them to the false leads. director Winterbottom turns Mariane's memoir into a relentlessly intense drama, depicting the disturbing tactics of terrorist traps and manipulations without sugarcoating or fabricating reality. Even though we all know the
tragic conclusion, their rescue efforts and fortitude put us on the edge of our seats as they carry on their search.

Jolie's presence is especially riveting.  She's depicted with seemingly Afro corkscrewed hair, slightly dark skin, and a murmuring accent stunningly similarity to Mariane's. She holds Mariane's amazingly strong  poise in the course of tremendous loss, giving a fierce and astute  performance.

And Dan's physical resemblance to his character is dead on; though hemostly appears in flashbacks, his determination and seemingly persuasive character leaves us with an indelible image of who he really was. The film captures what Mariane probably wanted rather than sensationalizing and lamenting Pearl's death. In the end, it is Mariane's words that echo:  "Their point is to terrorize people, but I'm not terrorized."

Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Written by John Orloff
Director of photography:Marcel Zyskind
Edited by Peter Christelis
Production designer: Mark Digby
Produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Andrew Eaton
Released by Paramount Vantage.
Running time: 108 minutes.

Cast: Angelina Jolie (Mariane Pearl)
Dan Futterman (Danny Pearl)
Archie Panjabi (Asra Q. Nomani)
Irrfan Khan (Captain)
Will Patton (Randall Bennett)
Denis O’Hare (John Bussey)
Adnan Siddiqui (Dost Aliani)
Gary Wilmes (Steve LeVine),
and Nassim BenBrik (Adam).