Quick Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
The Movie Man - wrote on 05/13/2009
Angelina Jolie is incredible! in this slow paced but well told story.
Rating of
2/4
shutterspeed777 - wrote on 04/21/2009
Aside from the discrepancy that ANGELINA JOLIE is white, and the real MARIANE PEARL is bi-racial, the whole movie performed quite well. Movies of this genre (War/Drama) with a documentary element are quite difficult to put together. Professional critics gave it an average 74% review mark, although one colleague close to DANIEL PEARL expressed utter dismay. By and large, I believe that the movie was successful (definitely not so much financially) in trying to maintain the intricacies of cultures, people-group mentalities and other factions operating within the overall problem, that help shed light to complexities of international terrorism crises such as this.
Rating of
0.5/4
Allison - wrote on 03/09/2009
I'm not sure how Angelina Jolie's career could tank any further. I was sad to hear what happened to Daniel Pearl, yet this movie is really the laughing-stock of Hollywood. So bad it's hysterical, which is very bad. Her performance completely ruined the movie for me and she should not have been nominated for an Oscar.
Rating of
2.5/4
goodfellamike - wrote on 09/05/2008
A strongly-acted, but rather uninformative biopic about the tragic events surrounding Daniel Pearl; not much light is painted on why his capture was so much more important than the countless others, and the semi-documentary approach feels obtuse. Not to insult the integrity of the content, but it feels more like a tv movie of the week despite the efforts of Angelina Jolie. Final Grade: C+
Rating of
3/4
Abby - wrote on 07/27/2008
when i got this movie i thought that i was going to be really scared while watching it, but surprisingly it was incredibly eye opening and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. angelina jolie does an amazing it the role of mariane. the best scene of the whole movie is when she breaks down after she finds out that her husband has been murdered. it feels so real and it just radiates her sadness, and the fact that on the inside she was hanging onto a small glimmer of hope that he would get back to her unharmed. at times there are so many people being talked about in one conversation that it gets really confusing, and hard to follow but other than that it was amazing!
Rating of
3/4
Franz Patrick - wrote on 12/24/2007
People forget that Angelina Jolie can act. This film is a reminder that she is a force to be reckoned with. What I like about this movie is that it feels real. It doesn't necessarily focus on Angelina Jolie, or the main character like in most pictures, but the action surrounds people that are trying to help get Daniel Pearl back. The best scene was when Jolie finally breaks down after finding out that her husband had been killed. It was so raw and moving that actually teared up a bit. Although some parts were a bit uneven, they are more than forgiven because the film has a driving force that other movies are missing. I hope Jolie can continue her amazing acting with dramatic roles such as this one.
Rating of
3/4
patjohnson76 - wrote on 11/26/2007
This film follows the kidnapping and investigation of Daniel Pearl, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal who was working in Pakistan when he was kidnapped and brutally killed. At times it's hard to follow because there are many characters involved and it's hard to keep them all straight, but the movie is worth watching for Angelina Jolie's performance as Marianne Pearl, complete with a French-Cuban accent. She completely embodies Pearl and at times you seem to forget that you're looking at Angelina Jolie. It's a sad watch as you know how it's going to end, so you might want to have a puppy to hug afterward or something.
