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The Da Vinci Code

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

An enormously anticipated film made from an international best-selling page-turner, '" The Da Vinci Code" has surefire written all over it. Does it sound familiar to suggest that the film is never as good as the book, or will this one break the curse of preconceived notions? Well, the plot was faithfully transcribed, but it bogged down in the dialogue category, which made it hard to consistently follow this suspense thriller brimming full with mystery. It's about a myth that involves two clandestine religious organizations: the Priory of scion,a noble cult that counts names like Leonardo Da Vinci and Issac Newton among it's members; and Opus Dei, the conservative catholic "Secret Society".

Author Dan Brown puts things bluntly with a blazing gun; what remain for us to figure out is just how much is really known about one of the world's most prestigious religions. Case in point: in the recently discovered gospel of Judas ( the villain traditionally derided as the betrayer of Jesus), we learn that Christ in fact asked Judas to do the dirty deed. there are 37 such gospels floating around, even though the church officially recognizes only four. So Brown has definitely opened a can of worms by writing about this controversial topic. When a Louvre museum curator is found murder by a self-flagellating albino monk(Paul Bettany), Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a symbologist from Harvard, is summond to investigate and crack an arcane anagram that is the final testament of the deceased. Forget the fact that a pricey painting wasn't monitored by a security camera or any razor detector.

After all, this film is based on fiction. Joined by a French police cryptologist(Audrey Tautou), the sleuths are always one step ahead of the law. They are pursued by police captain Beza Fache (Jean Reno), their would be nemesis whose motives are somewhat too convenient. In the first two acts, we are left unmoved by Tom Hanks's colorless and wooden characterization. Finally, the pace of the suspenseful action picks up when Sir Leigh Teabing(Ian Mckellen) appears, but the tension he brings to the scenes that follow is too little, too late. Some of the flashbacks (in breached-out color) are uninspiring. Director Ron Howard and writer Akiba Goldsman have collaborated before, on " A Cinderella Man" and "A beautiful mind," which many critics and moviegoers regard as career-defining films.

This is yet another sappy movie directed by all American, down-to-earth Opie, but there's nothing particularly innovative or gut level edgy about it. The plot is driven by a series of daunting new revelations that are dying to be recognized, and it even gets worse when a fancy crane shots are seen as just a show. Although Brown is credited as the executive producer, he seems to have a misconception of transferring what works on the page into the film medium.

I don't know that much about organized religion or myth, but after seeing this film I almost sensed the smell of digging Jesus' grave -- a real stinker. when people have such high expectations, it's almost impossible to execute any level of hype. One thing that is a little noteworthy is the tactic of promoting the film when they obviously expect those protesters to be out there in front of the theaters, generating a buzz before it release, who do you think sent the TV crew to film that? At least those who bear witness to the historical twist in this film have created a disclaimer in final sequence of dialogue:
" What you see depends on what you believe."

Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Akiva Goldsman
Based on the novel by Dan Brown
Director of photography: Salvatore Totino
Edited by Dan Hanley and Mike Hill
Music by Hans Zimmer
Production designer: Allan Cameron
Produced by Brian Grazer and John Calley
Released by Columbia Pictures.
Running time: 148 minutes.

Cast: Tom Hanks (Robert Langdon)
Audrey Tautou (Sophie Neveu)
Ian McKellen (Sir Leigh Teabing)
Jürgen Prochnow (Vernet)
Paul Bettany (Silas)
Jean Reno (Bezu Fache)
,and Alfred Molina (Bishop Aringarosa).