The Count of Monte Cristo

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The Count of Monte Cristo

PG-13

2002

2h 11m

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

74%

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142 Reviews

88%

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100,000+ Ratings

The classic story of an innocent man wrongly, but deliberately imprisoned and his brilliant strategy for revenge against those who betrayed him. Dashing young sailor Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) is a guileless and honest young man whose peaceful life and plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk) are abruptly shattered when his best friend Fernand (Guy Pearce), who wants Mercedes for himself, deceives him.

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Critics Consensus

Though it may not reach for any new artistic heights, The Count of Monte Cristo is an old-fashioned yet enjoyable swashbuckler.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/28/2010

4/5

A thoroughly enjoyable movie for older kids.

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Time Out

06/24/2006

A preposterous, expansive and self-conscious attempt to resurrect the historical spectacular.

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Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

07/20/2002

A big, vacuous, sometimes exciting glamour-puss of a movie.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Jan 3

8/10

The ways in which it plays out its basic concepts of personal reinvention and much-anticipated comeuppances are largely effective.

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Jeremy Conrad

IGN Movies

11/27/2019

8/10

This is an old-fashioned swashbuckling adventure that's just plain fun.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

11/20/2019

3.5/4

...an admittedly irresistible premise for an old-fashioned adventure...

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Judah E.

@TrueViewRadio 3d

Exactly what I want in a movie. No notes.

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Agasi G.

@Swagasi Dec 26

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of those movies that somehow flies under the radar while being wildly rewatchable and endlessly satisfying. This version leans hard into classic, old-school adventure storytelling, and it works beautifully. Jim Caviezel gives Edmond Dantès a grounded emotional core, making his transformation from wronged innocent to calculated avenger feel earned rather than flashy. Guy Pearce is a perfectly hateable villain, chewing just enough scenery without tipping into cartoon territory, and the supporting cast—especially Richard Harris—adds weight and gravitas. The pacing is excellent for a nearly three-hour epic: it moves briskly, hits all the emotional beats, and never loses sight of the revenge fantasy that makes the story so compelling. The score and production design also do a lot of quiet work, making the whole thing feel sweeping and romantic without becoming bloated. If there’s a knock against it, it’s that the film takes liberties with the source material, simplifying some of the moral complexity and trimming subplots for accessibility. Purists might bristle at that, and a few character motivations are streamlined more than they need to be—but those choices also make the movie tighter and more crowd-pleasing, which feels intentional rather than careless. Overall, The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) is a near-perfect revenge adventure—emotionally engaging, sharply paced, and deeply satisfying in a way modern epics rarely manage. Rating: 10/10

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Charlie K.

@cmkaniak Dec 21

When it comes to movies based on novels and revenge stories, this is one of the 🐐s

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Fox W.

@foxygrandpa910 Dec 19

I have never read the book, however the film was fun through and through. This is one of if not my favorite films ever. This movie is incredibly slept on.

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Joanne G

Nov 1

Missed not only the endin and plot but the spirit of the book.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Oct 17

Caviezel is playing the super long revenge game in the classic story. Solid, but maybe a little stodgy.

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Kevin Reynolds

Director

Jim Caviezel

Edmond Dantes

Guy Pearce

Fernand Mondego

Dagmara Domińczyk

Mercedes

Richard Harris

Abbe Faria

Luis Guzmán

Jacopo

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Synopsis

The classic story of an innocent man wrongly, but deliberately imprisoned and his brilliant strategy for revenge against those who betrayed him. Dashing young sailor Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) is a guileless and honest young man whose peaceful life and plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk) are abruptly shattered when his best friend Fernand (Guy Pearce), who wants Mercedes for himself, deceives him.

Director: Kevin Reynolds
Producer: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman
Screenwriter: Jay Wolpert, Alexandre Dumas
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Production Co: Birnbaum/Barber, World 2000 Entertainment Ltd., Spyglass Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Adventure Violence|Adventure Swordplay|Some Sensuality)
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $54.2M
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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