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A Mighty Heart [2007]
from Paramount Home Entertainment
starring Angelina Jolie, Daud Khan, Telal Saeed, Arif Khan, Tipu Taheer
directed by Michael Winterbottom

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

A Mighty Heart comes at the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl with a de-glamorised intensity: it's not a melodrama about Pearl's kidnapping and killing at the hands of Islamic terrorists, but a near-documentary about the process of trying to find him. Thus the centre of the film is not Pearl (Dan Futterman) but his wife Mariane (Angelina Jolie), a cool customer who manages--almost--to maintain her calm throughout the weeks-long ordeal. Director Michael Winterbottom is less overtly political here than in his Road to Guantanamo, although the reactions of various authorities, from U.S. officials to local Pakistani cops, give the flavour of different attitudes and approaches. Jolie, playing the Dutch-Afro-Cuban Mariane Pearl, does nicely at playing her character's control (others marvel at her sangfroid), yet she remains recognisably human throughout. By no means a star turn, the movie leaves Mariane for long stretches, and other actors shine: Irfan Khan as a detective, Denis O'Hare as Daniel Pearl's Washington Post editor, and Will Patton as a stymied diplomat. As engrossing as the movie generally is, the point of emphasising the police-procedural method is sometimes obscure. Oddly enough, by rejecting the usual string-pulling of conventional Hollywood drama, A Mighty Heart ends up without a strong point of view--as good as its pieces are. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

• Deadly insight
  A truly perceptive insight into the suffering generated by such atrocious acts. Very well worth watching and a classic in many ways becuse of the accuracy of its depiction and the credibility of teh cahracters and screenpaly.

• A mighty important film, showing humanity at its best and at its worst
  
  Jolie is wonderful, ..... Marianne Pearl (Angeline Jolie), a journalist, is in Pakistan with her fellow reporter husband, Daniel (Dan Futterman). They are planning to leave the country soon but have stayed a bit longer so that Daniel can interview an important, militant cleric. It is 2002, only months after the 9/11 attacks. Alas, Daniel, a Jewish man, vanishes into thin air. Marianne, who is expecting the couple's first child, is alarmed. As well she should be. Word comes soon enough that Daniel has... more info

• A Tragedy That Illuminates Grief and Hatred
  'The film's strict avoidance of exploitation and sensationalism only adds to the film's emotional impact. In just a few scenes, Futterman - the acclaimed screenwriter of Capote - digs deeply into Daniel as a journalist and a man. But the film belongs to Jolie. This is by far her best performance, strong and true in every detail from Mariane's accent (her roots are Dutch and Afro-Cuban) to the strength she shows under fire. Her total immersion in the role keeps the film from getting lost in the rush of... more info

• Almost total lack of dramatic tension
  The abduction and gruesome murder of Daniel Pearl by Islamic terrorists in Karachi was a tragic event in a sea of tragic events over the world. This film is a straight dramatisation of this story, seen from the point of view of Pearl's French wife, played by Angelina Jolie. The film is excellent in projecting local atmosphere and the authentic feeling is added to by a clutch of fine Pakistani actors playing the local characters. Angelina Jolie displays a very convincing French accent. She plays the part of... more info

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