Rating: R
Starring:
Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl
Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl
Archie Panjabi as Asra Q. Nomani
Mohammed Afzal as Shabir
Mushtaq Khan as Danny’s Taxi Driver
Daud Khan as Masud the Fixer
Telal Saeed as Kaleem Yusuf
Special Features:
Journey of Passion: The Making of “A Mighty Heart”
Public Service Announcement
Committee to Protect Journalists
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French and Spanish Language
French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie (‘The Good Shepherd’) “gives one of the most commanding and moving performances of her career” (Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper) in this shocking true story based on Mariane Pearl’s best-selling memoir.
After her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman, “Urbania”), is kidnapped by terrorists, Mariane (Jolie) heads a desperate search for clues in a frantic race against time to locate her missing husband. Directed by maverick filmmaker Michael Winterbottom (“The Road to Guantanamo”), “A Mighty Heart” is a gripping story of faith, hope and courage in the face of tragedy.”
“A Mighty Heart” is rated R for language.
Mini Review:
“A Mighty Heart” is a very difficult movie to watch much in the same way that “Schindler’s List,” 9/11 movies, and other tragedies are hard to watch. It is wonderfully acted, beautifully filmed, and brilliantly written. It also tells a moving and important story. But it is so painful to watch that it’s practically un-viewable. The problem is that you know how the movie is going to end even before it begins. You know Daniel Pearl is going to end up beheaded. You know that all of Mariane’s fears are going to be realized. You know there’s not going to be a happy ending. So for over 100 minutes you’re going to see the characters you’ve grown to love be tortured physically and emotionally. For me, that’s not pleasant to watch. And to be honest it’s a little too soon for me to see even if it happened a few years ago.
Angelina Jolie received a lot of praise for her portrayal of Mariane Pearl, and it is well deserved. She has an amazing transformation (though her dark eye contact lenses are a little creepy to look at). Jolie portrays the full gamut of emotions joy, fear, misery, rage, etc. It’s the kind of role actors can really work their craft in and Jolie does it well. She is supported by a strong cast, too. Dan Futterman is excellent as Daniel Pearl (though you have to wonder why he told a Muslim terrorist he was Jewish) and Archie Panjabi is memorable as Asra Q. Nomani.
If you like Angelina Jolie or movies about current events, then “A Mighty Heart” is one you’ll want to check out. I’m sure it will generate some Oscar nominations, too. But as I mentioned, it’s not an easy movie to watch.
There aren’t many bonus features included on the DVD. There’s a 30 minute “making of” video. It has your standard interviews with the cast and crew, behind the scenes footage, and other such stuff. There’s also a public service announcement about an organization for keeping international reporters safe and a second featurette on the Committee to Protect Journalists.
