The Count Of Monte Cristo
Director Kevin Reynolds infuses Alexandre Dumas's classic tale of treachery and revenge with the same contemporary, kinetic energy he employed onRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves, arguably to much better effect. ComposerEd Shearmur's moody, evocative score is a great asset in the effort. Largely eschewing the pomp and Wagnerian melodramatics of many similar costume dramas, the composer again evokes much of the same sense of delicate ambience and quiet mystery he successfully used onK-PAX. Working in a contemporary vein, Shearmur seamlessly fuses his electronic elements with the shadings of the London Metropolitan Orchestra, creating a slyly organic score that builds its dramatic character on rhythms, space, and color, rather than typically brash melodic cues. Shearmur's music shades mood and character without calling attention to itself. If there's a temptation to lament the lack of melody here, it's good to remember people don't revereBernard Herrmann's music for its hummable qualities, either.--Jerry McCulley