"The Count of Monte Cristo" is a film that contains piracy, Napoleon in exile, betrayal, prison, secret messages, escape tunnels, comics, a treasure map and sweet revenge, and brings it in under two hours, with performances by fine actors well known in the acting community. Jim Caviezel plays Edmund Dantes, a poor second mate on a supply ship owned by his best friend, Fernand Mondego (played by Guy Pearce) and his family. This film is set in France in 1815, before Napoleon returned from exile to invade Europe. This action, adventure and drama film will keep you on the edge of your seat as you go through all the conflicting emotions of Edmund Dantes. The film is directed by Kevin Reynolds who has also directed films such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld and more recently on the History Channel, Hatfields and McCoys. It's strange with this director not seeing Kevin Costner in this movie, but I'm glad they kept him out. Jim Caviezel does a great job with his role. Edmond Dantes and his best friend, Fernand Mondego, are childhood friends. It was always difficult to remain friends because Dantès was very poor and ignorant. Mondego came from a very rich family. Even with Mondego's wealth, he was always very jealous of Dantes as he was always happy with what little he had. Now older, Mondego has the opportunity to betray Dantes and have him sent to solitary confinement on the remote prison island of Chateau d'If. He spends years slowly going crazy and growing his hair, until one day an extraordinary thing happens. He meets a man named Abbe Faria (played by Richard Harris) who teaches Dantes how to read, write, and become a skilled swordsman. While in prison, Faria tells Dantes of a hidden great... middle of paper... that wouldn't be so great without him. Caviezel faced a great challenge when accepting this role. He almost had to play two different characters and blend them into each other throughout the film. His character changes significantly between before and after prison. He did it well and I liked his performance in this film. Sir Richard Harris, who played Abbot Faria, did a great job and was one of my favorite characters in the film. In fact it did so well that every time I've seen this movie, I'll always see him as Abbot Faria in other movies. I really liked this movie. I highly recommend it to anyone who really loves a good revenge movie. This movie will cover it all. I plan to purchase this film, frame it and hang it on the wall. That's how much I liked it. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you need to get up, go get a copy, and set your DVD player to repeat.