In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti...

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2006)

Admittedly, I am a film person... If there is a choice between reading a book and watching a film, I'd typically pick the film. After reading the acclaimed best-seller by Dan Brown for a day or two, I heard that Ron Howard was shooting the screen adaptation. So, about a third of the way through the book, I stopped reading and waited.
Now that I have seen this very entertaining film, I am curious to go back and read the entire novel. I am sure that some parts had to have been left out. And frankly, I am curious to compare the two.
This film was quite easily the most anticipated film of 2006... Ahead of any comic book adaptation or summer sequel / remake. I don't believe the validity, but I heard a rumor that this novel was the most sold work of fiction since... well... the Bible. No doubt it was an enormous phenomenon... For about two years it seemed that, every time I boarded a flight, every other passenger had a copy tucked in their carry-on luggage. The film will assuredly be a big success too, making a boat-load at the box office and then exploding into DVD collections.
The reason for all the popularity? Quite simply, the story is a fantastically entertaining and riveting one that works on many levels. It can be read as a detective story, a crime thriller, a religious exposé, a conspiracy theory, a puzzle... The complexity and depth are endlessly fascinating.
The film is shot by the wonderful Ron Howard, whose résumé is fast becoming one of the most impressive in recent Hollywood history. He is as sure-handed and reliable a director as there is... You can count on him to deliver a fine film almost every time out.
The cast is equally impressive. Hanks has been called the Cary Grant of this generation... And he resembles a wrongly accused Hitchcockian character in this film. He is the rock to this film's insanely hyperactive story. He is our focal point and he manages the part superbly.
Audrey Tautou is one of my ten favorite actresses. I am grateful for every moment she spends on screen. She handles the English-speaking role with aplomb and is quite capable of carrying the film along with her co-star.
There are also a handful of quality roles turned in by Jean Reno, Ian McKellan, Alfred Molina & Paul Bettany. No one lets the film down with a weak performance.
The story is so familiar to almost everyone... and I will not ruin it for anyone who wants a virgin movie-going experience. The film begins with a murder inside the hallowed halls of the Louvre. What is left behind is a handful of cryptic clues that will lead to the greatest cover-up in human history and the true source of God's power on earth.
Now, of course, the story is controversial in the sense that it deals with religious belief and vast conspiracies. However, anyone that gives this story weight or credibility, by denouncing it or forbidding people to see it, is utterly naive. They'll only add more interest to the members of the public who are waivering. The same thing happened to Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". After all, controversy puts asses in seats.
Movies are movies... they are not laws or doctrine or factual documents. People should not fear films like these.
The book, and thus the film, is complete fiction and does not claim to be anything other than that. It is merely a great suppositional piece of entertainment... and on that level it works spectacularly well.
You will find it virtually impossible to be bored during the 150-minute running length... something most 90-minute films cannot boast. This film is engrossing up until the chilling final sequence.
If there is any quibble, it is with the pacing. I felt a little rushed while watching all these earth-shattering events unfold. This prevented me from being fully immersed in the story from time to time. It was so hurried in parts that I became aware that I was watching a movie... And that is a big no-no in a film like this.
However, "The Da Vinci Code" works very well and it is easy to see why this story became such a world-wide hit. It is not the type of film to win Oscars and Globes... but it will captivate an audience who appreciates great storytelling, eerie moods, exciting action sequences, whodunit puzzles & surprise endings. This is the cinematic equivalent of a page-turner! -- TC Candler IndependentCritics.com