Overlong and occasionally dumb, but otherwise a pretty enjoyable blockbuster

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2006)

The best way of appreciating The Da Vinci Code is to be perfectly sure of your expectations. In my case, I knew exactly what I thought I would see: on the cover of the Italian edition, the original novel is defined "a thriller by Dan Brown", not "an essay on mankind's history by Dan Brown". The book is 100% fiction and, while not a classic, it's entertaining enough if you have nothing else to do on a boring Saturday afternoon. The movie adaptation is just the same, and that's why I enjoyed it.
Most critics, even those who didn't like the film (and there are plenty of them), claim the first fifteen minutes are the best. They've got a point: the opening sequence, where Jacques Saunière, the aged curator of the Louvre, is murdered by albino "monk" Silas (Paul Bettany), is indeed quite chilling, setting the tone for subsequent events. The weird circumstances of Saunière's death (apparently, he left a series of clues on his own body right before biting the dust) lead to symbology expert Robert Langdon's (Tom Hanks) involvement. Unfortunately, a misinterpretation of certain signs make him the prime suspect, and with the help of the victim's granddaughter, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), he has to discover the truth, a truth which will see him, to paraphrase English historian Leigh Teabing (the scene-stealing Ian Mckellen), "witness the biggest cover-up in human history".
It is said cover-up which has made some people (mostly over-religious) utterly hate The Da Vinci Code, because of its supposed "blasphemy" and "heresy". Now, the theory at the center of the film is with no doubt intriguing (a part of it was already dealt with in Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, conveniently mentioned in Brown's source novel), but let's face it: is there anyone who would take that stuff seriously? I mean, The Last Temptation of Christ can be taken seriously, in spite of its "upsetting" content, because it's a serious film. The Da Vinci Code, on the other hand, while dealing with interesting ideas (well, as interesting as they can get in an average mystery book), was made for only one reason: to be an exciting, entertaining summer blockbuster. Which it is.
Despite the overused plot line (average guy ends up in something so much bigger than him), director Ron Howard keeps the pace and suspense at a constant level, proving his versatility once again. He also confirms his very good eye for casting: Tom Hanks is a convincing protagonist, mainly thanks to the fact that he doesn't look like your ordinary action hero, and is therefore an excellent choice as a Hitchcockian everyman in an unusual situation, while Jean Reno gives all of his natural roguish charm to the stubborn French cop who makes it his mission to arrest Langdon (it is reported that Brown created the character with Reno in mind, and it is hard not to believe it). But, as usual, it's the Brits who steal the show: Alfred Molina's ambiguous bishop won't please devout churchmen (but hey, if everyone complained for being misrepresented cinematically, then how often would the French, the Germans and the Russians have sued Hollywood by now?), but he is a charismatic presence; Bettany is downright terrifying as one of the most disturbed (and disturbing) psychos to have hit the screens, adding an extra edge to the darker side he had previously shown in Gangster No. 1; and let's not forget Sir Mckellen, who enters the game an hour into the movie and then practically walks away with it, thanks to a characterization that is over-the-top, but in a classy, English way.
I still haven't mentioned Tautou, and that's because she is, despite trying her best, the weakest element in the film: best known for playing sweet, slightly naive women (as seen in the wonderful Amélie), she struggles to look convincing as a smart scholar, a fact that is particularly evident in the stretched epilogue, the only part of the movie that gets close to becoming utterly risible. However, this shouldn't detract from the merits of The Da Vinci Code, an unpretentious Hollywood thriller that sets out to entertain and succeeds most of the time, as long as the viewer knows it shouldn't be taken seriously.
7,5/10