A Conspiracy Theory Within a Conspiracy Theory

Rating: 6/10 (19 September 2019)

This film essentially begins with a man by the name of "Jacques Saunière" (Jean-Pierre Marielle) being fatally shot in the Louvre by an assassin known simply as "Silas" (Paul Bettany). As it so happens, Jacques is not only the curator of the Louvre but also the grand master of a secret fraternal organization known as the Priory of Sion. And it's because of his association with the Priory of Sion that Jacques is killed. However, before he is shot, Silas extracts a key bit of information before leaving him alone on the floor to bleed to death. Not long afterward, a professor of religious symbols by the name of "Robert Langdon" (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by the French investigator named "Captain Bezu Fache" (Jean Reno) to ostensibly help solve the case. What Robert Langdon doesn't realize, however, is that Captain Fache has another reason for requesting his presence and if not for the timely intervention of an attractive woman named "Sophie Neveu" (Audrey Tautou) he would have been arrested shortly afterward. It's then that both Robert and Sophie begin on a desperate quest for the Holy Grail and their lives will never be the same from that point on. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an entertaining mystery film which took a number of twists and turns along the way. On the other hand, however, I must also mention that much of the film was based on a number of half-baked conspiracy theories which should cause anybody with a rudimentary grasp of history to shake their heads in disbelief. Again, it was entertaining-but it was also quite nonsensical as well. That being said, I can fully appreciate any apprehension a viewer might have with regard to their rating. That being the case, had it not contained so many obvious and blatant historical inaccuracies, I would have rated it higher.