A Mighty Heart
A MIGHTY HEART: STRONG WOMAN, WEAK MOVIE
A Mighty Heart is a sad story with an ending that is already known to those who remember the killing of Daniel Pearl. The film is from the perspective of his wife Mariane Pearl and the ordeal she went through when he was kidnapped. The film is based on her book by the same name. It is a straight forward account of the events and pays tribute to him. Angelina Jolie as Mariane radiates calm on the outside, rage on the inside.
Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) and his wife Mariane (Angelina Jolie) are in Karachi, Pakistan doing investigative reporting. Daniel works for The Wall Street Journal. He leaves Mariane one day to have a dinner meeting with Sheikh Gilani, an Islamic fundamentalist cleric. He has been warned by many not to meet with this man in a non public place. When Danny doesn’t return home that night, Mariane becomes nervous. Everybody from Captain (Irfan Khan) to the CIA gets involved in trying to find Danny until the day when it is learned that he has been killed.
The story is horrific in terms of the facts. This is the race to find Danny Pearl, the missing journalist. It is very detailed and in depth in regards to the proceedings. You see the emotions that his wife Mariane is feeling. You see her support system, both American and Pakistani alike, and what they did for her. Angelina Jolie as Mariane did a great service to her. She communicates her calmness with an authentic French accent. You can feel the emotions bubbling at the surface, wanting to spill over. The supporting cast showed their love and held up this pregnant woman going through the worst possible torment. Archie Panjabi (A Good Year, Bend it like Beckham) as Asra is an accomplished actress who can transform herself into anybody. She is the shoulder that Mariane needs in this time of crisis. The pictures of Daniel from the kidnappers are sickening. When the video of Danny is found, the looks on its audience face is bad enough. Karachi is a huge city with a large population. It is in constant motion with the hustle and bustle make looking for Danny trying.
Even though the facts are given, you feel as if you are being kept at an arm’s distance from Mariane. She is only showing what she wants her audience to see. A documentary of her book would have been better suited rather than a film.
A Mighty Heart show that it isn’t just soldiers being killed by terrorists, even back in 2002. Journalists just trying to report the facts are putting their lives on the line. Daniel Pearl is just one example.
Report Card:
Story-B
Acting-A
Visuals-C
Originality/Innovation-C
Enjoyability Grade–C
DVD Extras-B
Overall Grade-C+
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