Cerebral Thriller

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2016)

With the upcoming release of the new Ron Howard-Tom Hanks thriller INFERNO Sony has chosen to re-release their first two original outings together with the Dan Brown character of Robert Langdon. It's a good thing to as some may have forgotten how great those two movies were. Not only that but it makes a great excuse for upgrading from the old DVD to blu-ray formats. And of those fortunate enough to have upgraded to the new 4k format it is available that way as well.
But let's go back to the beginning with this, the first film. Hanks stars as Langdon, a professor of religious iconology and symbology, a less action prone Indiana Jones. While lecturing in Paris he is called upon by Captain Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) to help in the investigation of a murdered curator at The Louvre, Jacques Sauniere. Langdon was supposed to have met with the man but failed to do so. Now he stands over the man's body looking at clues put in place by the man as he was dying.
As he interprets the clues for the captain another officer, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou) arrives with information. She loans Langdon her cell phone and tells him to call a specific number. When he does, he gets a recording made by Sophie telling him that he is about to be arrested for the murder and to go to the men's room. She aids him in escaping and off they go with the police in pursuit.
It turns out Sophie was the granddaughter of the deceased and believes a message he left behind with Langdon's name on it wasn't a clue to the name of his murderer but one to lead her to seek his help. Using the clues left behind by Sauniere they discover that he was a member of a secret society known as the Priory of Sion whose duty was to protect the Holy Grail. With not only the police but a separate secret society, an outlaw sect of the Catholic Church, they must not only clear Langdon's name but find the real murderer and save the grail at the same time. But just exactly what is the grail? What we have here is a well thought out mystery that takes the time to offer clues to its solution from start to finish. As I said earlier the character of Langdon is a sort of Indiana Jones figure, a scholar with an overwhelming sense of wonder at all things in his field. The look of amazement on Hank's face as Langdon when he is presented with various items, paintings, symbols and more throughout shows the love and respect the character has for each. It is a subtle display that shows why Hanks is one of the best actors in the business.
The movie progresses at an even keel combining moments with a sense of urgency beside others that show the thought process going on as Hanks and Tatou attempt to solve the puzzle with each clue moving them forward to yet another. This is author Dan Brown's method on display, telling us not just what is happening in the here and now but how it relates to history as well. While my guess would be there is some narrative license being used at moments, much of the history told is well researched and solid. This makes the movie not only a thriller that holds you in its grip but one that fills you full of history and information at the same time.
In watching the film I was amazed at just how well it was done. Howard has pulled together some of the most talented people in the business behind the scenes as well as on screen to present a compelling story that grabs the viewer by the throat and never lets go until the final credits roll. You never want to turn from the screen for fear of missing out on something. Even ten years later and two viewings in the past I still found myself fascinated. The film remains gorgeous to look at and entertaining to the extreme.
If you've never seen the movie then by all means buy a copy today. You'll find it one of the best movies made in some time as well as one of the greatest thrillers around. And if you pick this one and its sequel ANGELS & DEMONS up soon you'll have time to get caught up in the story of Langdon before the next movie comes out. It will be time well spent.