Anna NeonThe Real Deal
August 1st 2007 02:22
A Mighty Heart (2007)
Pakistan. February 2002. In the wake of the 9/11 Terrorist attacks on New York, Jewish-American, Danny Pearl, and his pregnant French wife, Mariane, are journalists working in the town of Karachi. The political heat surrounding terrorism is rife. Danny is due for one last interview with a notorious sheik and then the couple will be on their way home. But Danny never returns from his interview. The search begins.
Based on the memoir of the same name by Mariane Pearl, A Mighty Heart follows the story of her husband’s kidnapping and the desperate search to recover him. Displaying an amazing ability to rise above racial hatred and indifference, one wonders if the mighty heart belonged to her husband Danny, or if in fact, the mighty heart belonged to Mariane herself, whose unwavering faith in her husband and paramount belief in truth and peace is to be admired.
Angelina Jolie is composed and yet completely raw as Mariane Pearl. Sporting a killer French accent and an underplayed approach that really lets the film breathe, she can do no wrong, and is a pillar of strength in this film. Dan Futterman is honest and sympathetic as Danny, Irrfan Khan is similarly convincing in his role of Captain, the chief of the counter-terrorism unit, and Archie Panjabi is suddenly every woman’s companion in her strong and authentic portrayal of Asra.
Since 2002, nearly 230 journalists have been killed in the line of duty. These men and women are not soldiers in the traditional sense. They are soldiers of truth, and director Michael Winterbottom (The Road to Guantanamo, 24 Hour Party People), focuses on this here. Through his eyes we are offered a very realistic, very anti-Hollywood, almost documentary like glimpse into Danny and Mariane’s lives.
That’s not to say the film isn’t sharp. From the moment the film begins, Winterbottom creates a sense of foreboding, a sense of culture, a real feel for the political climate, and he presents his characters in a simple, realistic and sympathetic light. The shots were simple, the acting stripped back; there is no melodrama in this film, no big budget Hollywood tricks. Put bluntly, it’s real.
Pakistan. February 2002. In the wake of the 9/11 Terrorist attacks on New York, Jewish-American, Danny Pearl, and his pregnant French wife, Mariane, are journalists working in the town of Karachi. The political heat surrounding terrorism is rife. Danny is due for one last interview with a notorious sheik and then the couple will be on their way home. But Danny never returns from his interview. The search begins.
Based on the memoir of the same name by Mariane Pearl, A Mighty Heart follows the story of her husband’s kidnapping and the desperate search to recover him. Displaying an amazing ability to rise above racial hatred and indifference, one wonders if the mighty heart belonged to her husband Danny, or if in fact, the mighty heart belonged to Mariane herself, whose unwavering faith in her husband and paramount belief in truth and peace is to be admired.
Angelina Jolie is composed and yet completely raw as Mariane Pearl. Sporting a killer French accent and an underplayed approach that really lets the film breathe, she can do no wrong, and is a pillar of strength in this film. Dan Futterman is honest and sympathetic as Danny, Irrfan Khan is similarly convincing in his role of Captain, the chief of the counter-terrorism unit, and Archie Panjabi is suddenly every woman’s companion in her strong and authentic portrayal of Asra.
Since 2002, nearly 230 journalists have been killed in the line of duty. These men and women are not soldiers in the traditional sense. They are soldiers of truth, and director Michael Winterbottom (The Road to Guantanamo, 24 Hour Party People), focuses on this here. Through his eyes we are offered a very realistic, very anti-Hollywood, almost documentary like glimpse into Danny and Mariane’s lives.
That’s not to say the film isn’t sharp. From the moment the film begins, Winterbottom creates a sense of foreboding, a sense of culture, a real feel for the political climate, and he presents his characters in a simple, realistic and sympathetic light. The shots were simple, the acting stripped back; there is no melodrama in this film, no big budget Hollywood tricks. Put bluntly, it’s real.
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