The Da Vinci Code (2006)

A murder inside the Louvre and clues in Da Vinci paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years -- which could shake the foundations of Christianity.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Dan Brown (novel)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Robert Langdon
Audrey Tautou	...	Sophie Neveu
Ian McKellen	...	Sir Leigh Teabing
Jean Reno	...	Captain Bezu Fache
Paul Bettany	...	Silas
Alfred Molina	...	Bishop Manuel Aringarosa
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Andre Vernet
Jean-Yves Berteloot	...	Remy Jean
Etienne Chicot	...	Lt. Collet
Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	Jacques Saunière
Marie-Françoise Audollent	...	Sister Sandrine
Rita Davies	...	Elegant Woman at Rosslyn
Francesco Carnelutti	...	Prefect
Seth Gabel	...	Michael
Shane Zaza	...	Youth on Bus

Storyline

Symbologist Robert Langdon is thrown into a mysterious and bizarre murder. Alongside Langdon is the victims granddaughter and cryptologist Sophie Neveu, who with Robert discovers clues within Da Vinci's paintings. To further find the truth, Robert and Sophie travel from Paris to London, whilst crossing paths with allies and villains such as Sir Leigh Teabing and Silas. Wherever their path takes them, their discovery which is about to be revealed could shake the foundations of mankind.

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Plot Keywords:

secret | murder | chase | holy grail | secret society | 

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Taglines:

Break The Codes

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Falcon and Columbia Pictures [cz] Official site [ru]

Country:

USA Malta France UK

Language:

English French Latin Spanish

Release Date:

19 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

El código Da Vinci

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$125,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$412,659 (South Africa) (26 May 2006)

Gross:

$217,536,138 (USA) (18 August 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Skylark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

149 min 174 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Jean Reno, Dan Brown wrote the part of Captain Fache with him already in mind.

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Goofs

As Langdon and Sophie walk away from the Roselyn chapel in discussion there is a distinctive 1960s light blue Morris Minor Traveller and another small car in the background. The cars then change to a black Range Rover Discovery and Rover 75 in the next take from roughly the same point. A few moments later a wide shot of the church shows just two cars in the grounds.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Silas: Stop now. Tell me where it is.
[removes hood]
Silas: You and your brethren possess what is not rightfully yours.
Jacques Saunière: I don't know what you are talking about.
Silas: Is it a secret you will die for?
Jacques Saunière: Please...
Silas: As you wish.
[cocks gun]

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Crazy Credits

The "A" in "DA VINCI CODE" has no horizontal line, mirroring the "V", giving both the "Blade" and the "Chalice" of the masculine and feminine symbols described by Landgon in the movie.

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Connections

Spin-off The Da Vinci Code (2006)

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Soundtracks

"La Javanaise"
(1963)
Written and Performed by Serge Gainsbourg
Courtesy of Mercury Records France, a division of Universal Music S.A.
Under Licence from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

The best movie critic is YOU

So I suggest not writing this off as a Hollywood hack film, simply because it's the bandwagon thing to do. Before you go and see The Da Vinci Code, let all the negative and positive hype surrounding this production cancel each other out, clear your mind, and judge this film fairly. Do NOT judge it on its usually weak director, do NOT judge it entirely on the source material and do NOT judge it on your religious beliefs. All this will be rewarding.

I have not read the book so I will not attempt any kind of comparison.

Plot essentially goes like this: In the middle of the night, Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned as an expert to a crime scene in Le Louvre where a terrible murder has been committed. The victim's body is self-placed in such a bizarre, symbolic way next to one of the world's most famous paintings that the investigation gradually unlocks age-old mysteries that many do not wish to be unlocked.

The Da Vinci Code is a chilling, thrilling and well-sewn together mystery thriller that often keeps you on the edge of your seat. The cast do not disappoint either. Paul Bettany is genuinely creepy as Silas and thereby reinforces the stereotype that all albinos are evil. While Audrey Tatou is annoyingly frail as Sophie Neveu, she is captivating and lovely and is able to project both charisma and presence on screen in this film. However, Tom Hanks did not at all feel like the protagonist in the story and I am unaware whether that was intentional or not but I'm guessing no, in which case Hanks definitely fails in both attracting and keeping our interest.

So the cast usually perform well (with the exception of Hanks) and the story is also facilitated by some very striking visuals. A big plus for this film which elevates it slightly above generic formula is its beautiful locations often seen through epic aerial shots. Good call, Howard! Another big plus is its distinctly Euro-centric feel in both style and substance. This surprised me since it is Tom Hanks and Ron Howard in the same film, but they do manage to keep the overblown Hollywood clichés to a minimum. This is even apparent in the score by Hans Zimmer; it is not overblown, but subtle and appropriate in the scenes to which it was scored. Similarly, Frenchmen do not speak English with a French accent when they were alone together, but speak in French. That said, the plot does unfold in a somewhat Hollywood fashion -- and the plot happens to be thinner than an Olsen twin.

To counter the good parts, two big minuses in The Da Vinci Code are its wooden and sometimes even placeholder dialogue and its distinct lack of humor. I felt the actors were much too serious for this kind of film, which is first and foremost an adventure story, fast-paced and constantly unlocking new mysteries. The issues in the film were serious enough and needed more comedy to balance them.

As I write this review, more and more bad points about it spring to mind. This is strange, since I remember sitting in the cinema with my friends just a few hours ago and being thoroughly entertained and captivated by the whole thing. So, never mind the occasionally insultingly far-fetched plot and plot-twists by Dan Brown; The Da Vinci Code is a nicely done and very entertaining film in which nothing feels missing or incomplete.

7/10