After escaping from an island prison where he spent 14 years for being wrongly accused of state treason, Edmond Dantès returns as the Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on the men who betrayed him.

Alexandre Dumas’ ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ has been adapted many times before, but for whatever reason, this was my first proper introduction to the story. This adaptation comes from co-directors Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, and it stars Pierre Niney in the titular role of Edmond Dantès/The Count. I thought this was an excellent movie, epic in scale (it is 3 hours long but it didn’t feel long as some lengthy movies do), with great production values and good performances. That’s before getting to the story and the script, which lived up to the high expectations I had going in.

For those unfamiliar with the premise, it tells the story of a man who is betrayed and imprisoned for treason on a fortress prison on a small island off the coast of Marseille, with his family and wife to be left to believe he is dead. Upon escaping from prison many years later he is able to amass a small fortune, enabling him to set in play an elaborate plan to deliver vengeance against those who betrayed him and ruined his life. Niney is excellent in the leading role, playing Dantès over a large timespan and often under various disguises, needed once he begins his revenge plan, and it was a thrill to watch the plan unfold with surgical precision. There are plenty of twists and turns, drama, romance and pretty much everything you could come to expect from a dense action, adventure movie.

‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ is a skilful adaptation of one of the world’s best known novels, with impressive production values, cinematography and acting. Find yourself 3 hours and sit back and enjoy.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière

Starring: Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei, Amaya Ducellier, Laurent Lafitte, Pierfrancesco Favino, Patrick Mille, Vassili Schneider, Julien de Saint Jean, Julie de Bona, Adèle Simphal, Marie Narbonne and Bernard Blancan

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt26446278/