The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

A young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.

Director:

Kevin Reynolds

Writers:

Alexandre Dumas (novel) (as Alexandre Dumas père), Jay Wolpert (screenplay)

Stars:

Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Caviezel	...	Edmond Dantes
Guy Pearce	...	Fernand Mondego
Richard Harris	...	Abbé Faria
James Frain	...	J.F. Villefort
Dagmara Dominczyk	...	Mercedès Iguanada
Michael Wincott	...	Armand Dorleac
Luis Guzmán	...	Jacopo
Christopher Adamson	...	Maurice
JB Blanc	...	Luigi Vampa
Guy Carleton	...	Mansion Owner
Alex Norton	...	Napoleon
Barry Cassin	...	Old Man Dantes
Henry Cavill	...	Albert Mondego
Zahara Moufid	...	Holga (as Zhara) (credit only)
Brendan Costello	...	Viscount

Storyline

'The Count of Monte Cristo' is a remake of the Alexander Dumas tale by the same name. Dantes, a sailor who is falsely accused of treason by his best friend Fernand, who wants Dantes' girlfriend Mercedes for himself. Dantes is imprisoned on the island prison of Chateau d'If for 13 years, where he plots revenge against those who betrayed him. With the help of another prisoner, he escapes the island and proceeds to transform himself into the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo as part of his plan to exact revenge.

---

Plot Keywords:

priest | sword fight | prison break | color remake of black and white film | firework | 

---

Taglines:

Prepare for adventure. Count on revenge.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for adventure violence/swordplay and some sensuality

Details

Country:

UK USA Ireland Switzerland

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,376,150, 27 January 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$54,234,062

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$75,395,048

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, World 2000 Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The location of the Chateau D'if is actually an old castle in Malta, and is now used by the Maltese military as a communications and weather station.

---

Goofs

Edmond tells the magistrate he can't read. But then he engraves the words "God will give me justice" on the stonewall while in confinement.

---

Quotes

Count of Monte Cristo: His finances?
Jacopo: He's losing money at the other casinos. They're not even cheating him.
Count of Monte Cristo: And have you looked into his shipping?
Jacopo: He got a bank loan for his own boat several years ago. Doesn't use Danglars.
Count of Monte Cristo: Make sure we own that bank by tomorrow. Tell the other shipping companies to stay away from Mondego. I want to give him no choice but to crawl back to Danglars. Now, tell the dealers... take it all.

---

Alternate Versions

The UK version had 6 seconds cut by the BBFC to earn a PG certificate instead of a 15. The cuts were to two shots of a man being hung.

---

Connections

Featured in MythBusters: Mega Movie Myths (2006)

User Reviews

The Count rides again.

"The Count of Monte Cristo" (2002), a contempo back-to-basics treatment of the famous Dumas novel for new generations, spins its tale of passion and revenge with all the glory and melodrama of Hollywood's golden years. Full of lavish costuming, sumptuous sets, beautiful locations, dashing men, a gorgeous damsel, dank dungeons, the ever popular swashbuckling (whatever that is) etc., all supported with a classic story makes for 2+ hours of solid entertainment. Who could ask for more? Kick back and enjoy this fun adventure flick worth a trip to the video store. (A-)