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Cast: Guy Pearce (Fernand Mondego), Jim Caviezel (Edmond Dantes), Dagmara Dominczyk (Mercedes), Richard Harris (Faria - Priest in Prison), Luis Guzman (Jacopo), Michael Wincott (Dorleac) Story:
In the prison Edmond is consumed by that most intense of all human passions, revenge. He finds an unexpected ally in Faria, the priest (Richard Harris) who educates him and also teaches him fencing. Edmond escapes from the prison before his time. He finds a treasure on island based on a map given to him by the Priest and goes back to seek his revenge on Fernand. He gets his revenge and also gets back his love, Mercedes. Review:
It's very difficult to create a film out of an old classic these days. The new generation is hardly interested in watching them. Director Kevin Reynoldsevi and Screenwriter Jay Wolpert have managed to give a contemporary touch to this old classic and made it lovable for people from any generation.
In this film, he is outstanding as the treacherous Fernand Mondego. There is no frame in which he does not impress and has performed so brilliantly that at the end you simply want to hate him. That is the best compliment to him. For an Australian, his accent rarely ever shows, and he looks truly arrogant and pompous.
Dagmara Dominczyk provides the beauty angle to the movie as Mercedes. She manages to use up every frame that she is in to good effect. There are also cameo appearances by Luis Guzman and Michael Wincott who provide just the right balance whenever the film starts tending towards obscurity. The film has some crispy dialogues too. The one that stands in memory (I am writing this review almost six months after seeing the movie) is the one that Richard Harris (the Priest in the prison) speaks about revenge, "it's a meal endlessly cooked and seldom eaten." Cool.
The screenplay is very neat and the direction very good. To tap fully into a talent like Guy requires maturity in handling and Kevin Reynoldsevi has exploited it very well. Definitely a must-see. Final Score: *** and 1/2 out of 4 stars. Sam Walker
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Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) and Edmond (Jim Caviezel) are childhood friends. On growing up, Fernand reveals his true nature. His jealousy, when he realizes that Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk) loves Edmond and not him, drives him to betray Edmond and have him sent to the island prison of Chateau D'If for thirteen years for a crime he did not commit. Fernand cannot digest the fact that he, the son of a count, is far less happy than Edmond who is poor and illiterate. 
What a classic it was! Most of the film was shot in Ireland, a beautiful country. The blue oceans, rocky landscapes and the green countryside are a great backdrop to this wonderful movie. Add to it, some authentic fencing (sword fighting) and you have a thriller on your hands.
The most important elements of the movie, however, were its two chief characters played by Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce. Pearce is one actor who gets under the skin of the character that he plays and soon you cannot differentiate between the two. His track record is very impressive for such a short career, with "Memento" being his best film. 
Jim Caviezel, who plays Edmond Dantes, has done a marvellous job of portraying two different characters in the movie. The first as the innocent bumpkin who is unable to counter the forces of treachery and jealousy and the second as the cool, confident and revenge-seeking Count of Monte Christo. His dashing good looks lend just the right charm to the character.
The fighting scenes are very good. The official statement was that Guy and Jim had trained in fencing for a month before those scenes were shot. The effort shows. Those scenes provide that contemporary edge to the movie that the younger audiences would love. 
