Film Review: THE DA VINCI CODE (2006)

Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Akiva Goldsman (Screenplay), Dan Brown (Novel)
Running time: 149 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
UK Release date: 19^th May 2006

Watched on DVD Tuesday 27^th December 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Whilst visiting some friends this film came up in conversation for some reason, I can’t exactly remember just why now, but needless to say, a viewing was hastily arranged. Having previously read the book I had a pretty good idea about the storyline and so settled down to enjoy Ron Howard’s interpretation. I will give you my thoughts after this very brief summary.

A murder has been committed at the Louvre museum in Paris; an eminent professor has been killed, but he has left clues to the identity of his murderer. Robert Langdon, an expert in symbology is called in by the police… but do they have an ulterior motive? The victim’s granddaughter, cryptologist Sophie Neveu warns Langdon that he is in danger. They manage to fool the police into thinking they’ve escaped and take to opportunity to look for clues. What they find leads them to a revelation that, if made public, would blow religion wide apart! To this end, they are also pursued by an agent of the church, Silas, a cold blooded killer… I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police will have me clapped in irons (again).

This is a very well made film that looks great on the screen; you can tell there was a good chunk of money thrown at the project. The music, by Hans Zimmer,was also great and fitted the visuals perfectly. As far as performances go, well I thought the best performance came from Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing, for me he stood out. Honourable mentions must go to; Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, Jean Reno as Captain Bezu Fache, Paul Bettany as Silas and Alfred Molina as Bishop Manuel Aringarosa.

In scanning through other reviews, the phrase, ‘not as good as the book’ seems to come up quite a lot, and I must say I agree, the book is better. Having said that, I did find that, although it is very long, the time passed pretty quickly due to the fast-paced storytelling. The problem with this is that it’s quite easy to miss a vital piece of the puzzle and that can be annoying. For me, it was a decent effort to put on the screen quite a complicated tale. Unfortunately if falls down because there are just a couple too many coincidences that work out. A blind alley here and there might have helped (IMO). At the end of the day, if you haven’t read the book it’s still an entertaining watch and one that may well spark a little debate. (It certainly did with me and my friends!)… Recommended (just).

My Score: 6.5/10.

IMDb Score: 6.4/10 (based on 147,704 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0382625/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 25/100 (based on 220 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 64/100 (based on 682,325 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/da_vinci_code/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Silas: Stop now. Tell me where it is.
[removes hood]
Silas: You and your brethren possess what is not rightfully yours.
Jacques Saunière: I don't know what you are talking about.
Silas: Is it a secret you will die for?
Jacques Saunière: Please...
Silas: As you wish.
[cocks gun]

Robert Langdon: It's an old wives' tale.
Sir Leigh Teabing: The original one, in fact!

Robert Langdon: The ancient male symbol was the blade, it's a basic phallus. It's still used today on military uniforms.
Sir Leigh Teabing: Yes, and the more penises you have, the higher your rank. Boys will be boys!

[last lines]
Robert Langdon: She rests at last beneath starry skies.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/davincicode/international/
Trailer: