SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

"THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO"
(2002) (Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Heavy	Mild	Extreme	*Moderate	Extreme

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	Extreme	None	Minor

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Moderate	Minor	Mild	Moderate	*Extreme

QUICK TAKE:: Action/Adventure: After being wronged by his alleged best friend and serving many years in prison, a man sets out to escape and get his revenge on him and others.

PLOT:

It's 1814 and best friends and shipmates Edmond Dantes (JIM CAVIEZEL) and Fernand Mondego (GUY PEARCE) have arrived on the island of Elba hoping to find medical help for their ailing captain. Although their efforts are in vain, they get to meet Napoleon Bonaparte (ALEX NORTON), the exiled French Emperor who asks Edmond to deliver a confidential letter for him. Having received the former leader's help, Edmond agrees.

Once back in Marseilles, Edmond is promoted to Captain by Morrell (PATRICK GODFREY), the owner of the shipping company, a point that doesn't sit well with the first mate, Danglars (ALBIE WOODINGTON), or Fernand, who turns out to be envious of Edmond's life. That's particularly true in regards to Mercedes (DAGMARA DOMINCZYK), Edmond's beautiful girlfriend who's ready to marry him.

That never comes to fruition, however, as Fernand secretly conspires to have Edmond brought up on charges of treason based on the letter he's carrying. Arrested and taken before the local magistrate, Villefort (JAMES FRAIN), Edmond is eventually sent to the island prison of Chateau D'If, where his only contact for years is with the cruel warden, Dorleac (MICHAEL WINCOTT).

As the years pass, Edmond eventually loses all hope and faith in God. His fortunes change, however, when an older inmate and former priest, Abbe Faria (RICHARD HARRIS), accidentally tunnels into his cell. The two quickly become friends, with Edmond agreeing to help dig another tunnel in exchange for Abbe educating him in the ways of the pen and sword.

Now proficient in both, Edmond eventually escapes and sets out to enact his revenge on those who wronged him. Suddenly wealthy from a secret Abbe passed on to him, and utilizing the help of various smugglers such as Luigi (JB BLANC) and Jacopo (LUIS GUZMAN), Edmond reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo and sets into motion his plan of revenge.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of someone in the cast or swashbuckler type films, they probably will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For adventure violence/swordplay and some sensuality.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: JIM CAVIEZEL plays the sailor who's set up by his best friend and spends thirteen years in prison where he plots his revenge against those who wronged him.
GUY PEARCE plays his supposed best friend who's envious of most everything about Edmond to the point of setting him up so that he can have Mercedes to himself. He drinks a great deal, isn't faithful to his wife and murders various people.
DAGMARA DOMINCZYK plays Edmond's beautiful girlfriend who ends up marrying Fernand when she learns that she's pregnant (by Edmond) and is told that he's dead.
RICHARD HARRIS plays a philosophical former priest who teaches Edmond in the ways of the pen and sword while the two spend years in prison.
JAMES FRAIN plays the local magistrate who conspires with Fernand to imprison Edmond.
JB BLANC plays a smuggler who employs and then assists Edmond in his quest for revenge.
LUIS GUZMAN plays another smuggler who's devoted his life to Edmond after the latter spared his life.
ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; GUY PEARCE plays his supposed best friend who's envious of most everything about Edmond to the point of setting him up so that he can have Mercedes to himself. He drinks a great deal, isn't faithful to his wife and murders various people.
DAGMARA DOMINCZYK plays Edmond's beautiful girlfriend who ends up marrying Fernand when she learns that she's pregnant (by Edmond) and is told that he's dead.
RICHARD HARRIS plays a philosophical former priest who teaches Edmond in the ways of the pen and sword while the two spend years in prison.
JAMES FRAIN plays the local magistrate who conspires with Fernand to imprison Edmond.
JB BLANC plays a smuggler who employs and then assists Edmond in his quest for revenge.
LUIS GUZMAN plays another smuggler who's devoted his life to Edmond after the latter spared his life.
ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; DAGMARA DOMINCZYK plays Edmond's beautiful girlfriend who ends up marrying Fernand when she learns that she's pregnant (by Edmond) and is told that he's dead.
RICHARD HARRIS plays a philosophical former priest who teaches Edmond in the ways of the pen and sword while the two spend years in prison.
JAMES FRAIN plays the local magistrate who conspires with Fernand to imprison Edmond.
JB BLANC plays a smuggler who employs and then assists Edmond in his quest for revenge.
LUIS GUZMAN plays another smuggler who's devoted his life to Edmond after the latter spared his life.
ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; RICHARD HARRIS plays a philosophical former priest who teaches Edmond in the ways of the pen and sword while the two spend years in prison.
JAMES FRAIN plays the local magistrate who conspires with Fernand to imprison Edmond.
JB BLANC plays a smuggler who employs and then assists Edmond in his quest for revenge.
LUIS GUZMAN plays another smuggler who's devoted his life to Edmond after the latter spared his life.
ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; JAMES FRAIN plays the local magistrate who conspires with Fernand to imprison Edmond.
JB BLANC plays a smuggler who employs and then assists Edmond in his quest for revenge.
LUIS GUZMAN plays another smuggler who's devoted his life to Edmond after the latter spared his life.
ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; JB BLANC plays a smuggler who employs and then assists Edmond in his quest for revenge.
LUIS GUZMAN plays another smuggler who's devoted his life to Edmond after the latter spared his life.
ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; LUIS GUZMAN plays another smuggler who's devoted his life to Edmond after the latter spared his life.
ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; ALEX NORTON plays the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon.
ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.; ALBIE WOODINGTON plays the first-mate of a ship who's angered at Edmond's promotion above him to captain. He also conspires with Fernand.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this action/adventure film that's been rated PG-13. Violence consists of several people being killed (by drowning, hanging, shooting and being stabbed/run through with a sword, etc.).

Various instances of non-lethal violence include people fighting with and/or striking others (with the intent of killing them) and a prisoner who's repeatedly whipped, with some of them being injured as a result. Some of the violence has bloody results, but little of it's graphic, and some of the action and violence may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.

A non-explicit, sexually related comment is made, while off-screen sex is implied in a few scenes. Profanity consists of a few religious phrases used as exclamations. Meanwhile, several characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes (some of them are extreme), and various characters drink (some quite a bit) and a few are seen holding pipes.

Should you still be concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information about the content contained within it.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Fernand drinks from a bottle.
Edmond and Fernand drink wine, and Fernand then drinks more.
Fernand drinks some more.
Fernand is now drunk, while Danglars is also drinking.
Mercedes, Edmond and his father drink wine.
Some miscellaneous soldiers drink.
A man tells his servant to bring him and Edmond some sherry.
Various people drink at a large party.
Fernand drinks and then does so again.
Fernand and others drink.
In a flashback, a man drinks.
Fernand walks out with a bottle.

BLOOD/GORE: A man prepares to test if another man is really in a coma by driving a knife into his arm (we don't see the insertion, but do briefly see the bloody wound on the arm).
We see some bloodstains on Edmond's shirt after he's been whipped.
Edmond receives another whipping and we see bloody lash marks on his back.
After they've caught a rat, we see that Edmond and Abbe have cooked it and are prepared to eat it (we don't see anything graphic, but the thought of all of that may be gross to some viewers).
We see all sorts of old whipping scars on a man's back.
A man has some blood on his shirt during a fight.
After a sword is run through a man, there's some blood on the end of it as well as from the victim's mouth.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Fernand tells Mercedes, "Make love to me" (when both are clothed and outdoors), despite her being romantically involved with Edmond. We also learn that Fernand has always been jealous/envious of Edmond and then sets out to ruin his life (by implicating him of treason). He also kills several people.
Villefort has both for the way he treats Edmond and sends him to prison. He then further conspires to get what he wants, including having people killed.
A sadistic warden whips Edmond and states he'll do so every anniversary of the prisoner's arrival there.
Abbe admits to burning down a church with people inside it in the past.
We learn that Fernand is cheating on his wife and isn't even making any attempts to hide that from her.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be tense or unsettling to some viewers, but most are played in an action/adventure style rather than true, edge of your seat suspense (although younger kids and those with low tolerance levels for such material might find it that way more than others).
A man prepares to test if another man is really in a coma by driving a knife into his arm (which he does and we briefly see the bloody wound on the arm).
As some suspenseful music plays, something suddenly starts to emerge from a prison floor, scaring the prisoner.
A small, hand-dug tunnel begins to collapse on two men inside it.
A man is wrapped in a bag that then has chains and weights put on it before being thrown over a cliff and into the sea below. The man manages to grab a set of keys just as he's being thrown over the edge and then races to get himself out of the bag before he drowns below the water's surface.
A guard discovers that a prisoner has escaped and tries to rush out to tell others before they unknowingly let him go.
Someone suddenly grabs Fernand's 15-year-old boy.
A person tries to commit suicide by putting a gun into his mouth and pulling the trigger, but it turns out the gun is empty.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Muskets/Rifles/Swords/Knives/Whip: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Idiots," "Bastards" and "Whore."
All of the sword fighting and other action may be enticing for some kids to imitate.
A man spits in another man's face.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): An extreme amount of suspenseful music, along with some of the action-adventure variety, plays during the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 2 uses each of "For God's sakes" and "Oh my God" and 1 use of "Oh God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Fernand tells Mercedes, "Make love to me" (when both are clothed and outdoors), despite her being romantically involved with Edmond. She then states that he never gives up and Fernand replies that Edmond doesn't need to know.
Later, and seen from a distance, Edmond is on top of Mercedes, kissing her (outdoors, where all we really see are their heads and his bare back). It is implied that they have sex, and we later see them kissing some more, with him partially on top of her.
Mercedes shows some cleavage in a few scenes, as do a few other women.
We see Edmond and Mercedes in bed, apparently after having sex. The next morning, we see her with just a sheet around her.
Fernand tells a woman that she pleased him some of the time, with her replying that he never pleased her (could be meant sexually).

SMOKING: Jacopo and Danglars are each seen with a pipe once.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Edmond hears that his father hanged himself, while another man has his father murdered.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Revenge and whether two wrongs make a right.
That Edmond's long and harsh imprisonment has caused him not to believe in God anymore.
Napoleon, and his comment that people are either kings or pawns.

VIOLENCE: The category's rating comes more from quantity than quality or degree of the material.
Some soldiers shoot at Fernand and Edmond, with Fernand shooting one in the shoulder. The two then fight with the soldiers (with swords) who also shoot rifles and muskets at them. Various people are also kicked and hit during this (all done/presented in a very adventurous fashion).
A man prepares to test if another man is really in a coma by driving a knife into his arm (which he does and we briefly see the bloody wound on the arm). In response, Edmond punches that man.
Some guards grab and remove Edmond from a home.
After being taken away by guards, Edmond knocks one guard into some water and then knocks another one down before escaping on horseback (as one man shoots at him).
After Edmond comes to see him (after escaping from custody), Fernand pulls a sword on him. The two then get into a swordfight. During this, Fernand slices Edmond on the hand, while he knocks over various items that break. Edmond then grabs Fernand's sword, but Fernand yanks it out, cutting his hand (not graphically seen) and then stabs him (also not graphically seen).
A prison warden has Edmond strung up by his arms and then repeatedly whips his back (we don't see the impact).
Edmond receives another whipping and we see bloody lash marks on his back.
A person tries to hang himself, but is unsuccessful.
We hear the sounds of more whippings.
We briefly see some more whippings.
A small, hand-dug tunnel begins to collapse on two men inside it, with one man being caught in the collapse and covered in rocks and dirt.
A man is wrapped in a bag that then has chains and weights put on it before being thrown over a cliff and into the sea below. The man manages to grab a set of keys just as he's being thrown over the edge and then races to get himself out of the bag before he drowns below the water's surface.
Edmond struggles with another man in a body of water and eventually drowns him.
Edmond is forced to enter into a knife fight with Jacopo, known as the best knife fighter around. Jacopo repeatedly tries to strike Edmond with his knife, but eventually finds himself at Edmond's mercy.
Fernand appears to be sparring with another man with swords, but then drives his through the man's body, killing him (but there's no blood).
Someone suddenly grabs Fernand's 15-year-old boy. Not long after that, there's a swordfight where people are thrown to the ground (but we later learn that all of it was staged).
A man tries to attack Edmond who easily defends himself against the assailant, with the man eventually being hanged (by a rope around his neck that swings him off a boat).
We see a flashback to man being shot in the back, and then see the assailant shoot him again (not graphically).
Fernand throws something into a mirror, causing it to shatter.
Two men get into a swordfight, with one striking the other on the arm. As the injured man's son comes to defend him (and briefly spars with the first man), the injured man tries to load his musket to use on the first man.
A man throws a knife that hits a gun just as it's fired, causing the bullet to hit someone else (in the shoulder) other than the intended target.
A man on horseback (with his sword drawn) charges another man, but is knocked from his ride. The two men fight, with one punching and kicking the other several times. More struggling ensues, with one man slicing another man across the belly (nothing graphic). That man then throws a rock that hits the other man. More sword fighting follows, with one man eventually driving a sword through the other man (with some blood on the sword and from the victim's mouth).

Reviewed January 9, 2002 / Posted January 25, 2002

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