The Da Vinci Code (2006)


The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)


The Da Vinci Code (2006)


Director: Ron Howard


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



STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little
Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

A curator is murdered in Paris's revered Louvre Museum. The French
police, headed by Leutenant Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) call on the
expertise of Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), an expert in Pagan
Symbols, when mysterious, blood-drenched patterns are found all over
the body. However, Fache's suspicions of Robert have already been
aroused and, unbeknownst to the professor, he's slipped a tracking
device on him. Then Agent Nevu (Audrey Tautou) intervenes, springs him
from the museum and begins a wild chase around Paris full of wild
twists and turns. Robert learns the curator was Nevu's grand-father and
was involved with a religious sect called The Priory of Sion. It all
leads to a monk, Silas (Paul Bettany) sent by the religious sect of
Opus Dei and the ultimate re-writing of history.

There's nothing like controversy to get something talked about, and it
seems the best results are when that controversy involves religion. Dan
Brown's much talked about novel The Da Vinci Code set off much
consternation by basically re-writing the bible- and now that
controversy has been adapted to the big screen.

The book suffered from trite dialogue but still managed to be a
relentless page turner that fired at you with interesting fact after
interesting fact and kept you on the edge of your seat till the last
page. The film adaptation, then, is as good as can be expected. It's
well cast. Tom Hanks is just the kind of lead you need for this kind of
thing, but he's not at his best here. Jean Reno also has appeal as
Captain Fache (strangely, though, I'd always pictured Michael Gambon in
the role!) Tautou and Bettany are also very engaging in support but
it's Ian McKellen who steals the show here as eccentric old grail
enthusiast Sir Leigh Leabing, delivering the most spirited and
compelling performance. And it has a reliable director in Ron Howard.
But if you've read the book, the film offers little in the way of it's
own variation on the story and pretty much just plays it like it was in
the book, making it a bit of a dull and unsurprising thing after a
while. If you haven't read the book, do so, it'll be much more
rewarding. ***

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