The Count of Monte Cristo

2002

Jim Caviezel as Edmond Dants

Guy Pearce as Fernand Mondego

James Frain as J.F. Villefort

Dagmara Dominczyk as Merceds Mondego (ne Herrera)

Luis Guzmn as Jacopo

Richard Harris as Abbe Faria

Michael Wincott as Armand Dorleac

Henry Cavill as Albert Mondego

Albie Woodington as Danglars

JB Blanc as Luigi Vampa

Alex Norton as Napolon

Patrick Godfrey as Morrell

Freddie Jones as Colonel Villefort

Helen McCrory as Valentina Villefort

Christopher Adamson as Maurice

The Count of Monte Cristo is a 2002 adventure drama film produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary
Barber, and Jonathan Glickman that was directed by Kevin Reynolds. The film is an adaptation of
the book of the same name by Alexandre Dumas, pre and stars Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce,
and Richard Harris.[2] It follows the general plot of the novel (the main storyline
of imprisonment and revenge is preserved); but many aspects, including the relationships between
major characters and the ending, have been changed, simplified, or removed; and action scenes
have been added. The film met with modest box officesuccess.
In 1815, Edmond Dants, Second Mate of a French merchant vessel, and his friend Fernand
Mondego, representative of the shipping company, seek medical help at Elba for their ailing
captain. Napoleon Bonaparte, having kept his guardians from killing the pair, exchanges his
physicians services with Edmond for the delivery of a letter to a Monsieur Clarion.

In Marseille, the company owner Morrell commends Edmond for his bravery, promoting him to
captain over First Mate Danglars, who gave Edmond explicit orders not to land at Elba. Edmond
states his intention to marry his girlfriend, Mercds, whom Fernand lusts after.
Fernand and Danglars inform on Edmond, concerning the letter Fernand saw Napoleon hand him, to
the citys Magistrate, Villefort, who has Edmond arrested. Villefort prepares to exonerate Edmond
until he learns the letter is addressed to his father, a Bonapartist; he burns the letter and orders
Edmond locked up in Chteau d'If. Edmond escapes, and turns to Fernand for help, but Fernand
holds him up and turns him over to the pursuing gendarmes. Edmond is consigned to the island
prison and its sadistic warden, Armand Dorleac. Villefort has Fernand assassinate his father in
exchange for persuading Mercds that Edmond has been executed for treason and that she should
take comfort in Fernand.
Six years later, Edmond is startled in his cell by an eruption in the ground revealing another
prisoner. Abb Faria, who has been imprisoned for 11 years after he refused to tell Bonaparte the
whereabouts of the treasure of Spada, has dug an escape tunnel. For the next seven years Faria
educates Edmond in all facets of scholarship, including swordplay, in exchange for his help in
digging a new escape route. Faria dies in a tunnel cave-in but before expiring he reveals a map to
the treasure. Edmond escapes by switching himself for the priests body in the body bag, and is
thrown into the sea, pulling Dorleac along with him, who he drowns.
Edmond encounters a band of pirates preparing to execute a fellow pirate, Jacapo, (Luis
Guzmn). Their leader, Luigi Vampa, decides justice and entertainment would be better served by
pitting Edmond and Jacopo in a knife fight. Edmond wins, but spares Jacopo, who swears himself
Edmonds man for life. Jacopo and Edmond both work for the pirates until they arrive in Marseille.
Edmond learns from Morrell, who does not recognize him, that Fernand and Danglars are complicit
in his betrayal, and that Fernand and Mercds have wed. With Jacopo, he locates Faria's treasure,
and establishes himself as a Count in Parisian society.
Edmond ingratiates himself to the Mondegos by staging the kidnap and rescue of their son,
Albert (Henry Cavill).Now known as the Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond lures Fernand, Villefort and
Danglars into a trap by letting slip the notion that he has located the treasure of Spada, and is
shipping it through Marseille. Danglars is caught red-handed in the act of theft. Villefort is arrested
upon confessing that he ordered the hit on his father and it is revealed that Fernand carried out the
murder of Monsieur Clarion.
Even though his appearance has dramatically changed, Mercds recognizes her former fianc.
Eventually, she softens him and they rekindle their relationship. As Fernand prepares to flee, she
reveals the only reason she married him was that she was pregnant with Albert who is really
Edmonds son.
Fernand encounters Edmond in the ruins of an estate where he thinks he hid what he thought were
chests full of the treasure but contain nothing but dirt. Albert intervenes when Edmond attempts to
kill Fernand, but Mercds tells him of his true parentage. Fernand leaves, firing a shot that wounds
Mercds, and rides away, but changes his mind upon realizing that he has nothing left to live for.
Fernand rides back and calls Edmond out. The two fight to the death; Edmond prevails.

Edmond purchases Chteau d'If, intending to raze it, but instead leaves it standing as he swears to
the spirit of Faria to use his vast resources for nothing but good.