Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Director:

Simon West

Writers (WGA):

Sara B. Cooper (story) and
Mike Werb (story) ...

Release Date:

15 June 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

Who Is Lara Croft?

Plot:

Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful ancient artifacts.

Plot Keywords:

Action Heroine | Amphibious Vehicle | Secret Agent | Spin Off From Video Game | One Woman Army

Awards:

3 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Angelina Jolie	...	Lara Croft
Jon Voight	...	Lord Richard Croft
Iain Glen	...	Manfred Powell
Noah Taylor	...	Bryce
Daniel Craig	...	Alex West
Richard Johnson	...	Distinguished Gentleman
Chris Barrie	...	Hillary (as Christopher Barrie)
Julian Rhind-Tutt	...	Mr. Pimms
Leslie Phillips	...	Wilson
Robert Phillips	...	Julius, Assault Team Leader
Rachel Appleton	...	Young Lara
Henry Wyndham	...	Boothby's Auctioneer
David Cheung	...	Head Laborer (as David Y. Cheung)
David K.S. Tse	...	Head Laborer
Ozzie Yue	...	Aged Buddhist Monk

Also Known As:

Tomb Raider (USA) (short title)
Tomb Raider: The Achilles Shield (USA) (working title)
Tomb Raider: The Adventures of Lara Croft (USA) (working title)
Tomb Raider: The Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) (cut) | Malaysia:U | Singapore:PG (cut) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 (censored version) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38350)

Filming Locations:

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Lara's pistols are 9mm Heckler and Koch USP MATCH.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Powell pulls out the knife and throws it at Alex, it is spinning. When Lara has time reverse, the knife is moving straight.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[after an extended action sequence with a training robot which then attempts to revive itself and sneak up on her]
Lara Croft: Stop!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure (2001)

Soundtrack:

Where's Your Head At

Better the second time around

When I first watches this movie, I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy it. It could be just that I was in the wrong mood. However, I did find the movie lacking a convincing villain challenging enough to make you root for the heroine. Indiana Jones had a good villain, Jackie Chan movies always pit him against the odds - that's what makes for good action. In Tomb Raider, not only is it clear to everyone that Lara Croft is greater than the villains by a long shot, worse still - she joins forces with them! This creates a confusing scenario where natural sympathies for the main character get thrown out the window.

However when I watched it the second time, this time without any preconceived notions and fully expecting the lack of exciting odds, I really enjoyed it for what it is - a visually appealing film with some thrilling stunts and action scenes. The fact that Angelina did her own stunts adds to the enjoyability of the key action scenes, all of which are artfully conceived and executed.

I realize many people toast this movie, but watch the movie for what it offers - some unique and stylish action. The heroine certainly does some nifty tricks that we've never seen on the big screen before, let alone from a female character.