DA VINCI CODE, THE

SYNOPSIS:
Harvard symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is asked to decipher a strange symbol found near the body of the elderly curator of the Louvre in Paris. Helped by police cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), Robert sets out to follow these clues and others hidden in the artworks of Leonardo Da Vinci. Secrets with sensational religious implications become apparent, and soon they are on the run from ghostly monk Silas (Paul Bettany), policeman Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) and the formidable Bishop Aringarose (Alfred Molina). Robert heads for the stately home of his former colleague Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen) to ask for his help to decipher the secret that has been closely guarded for 2,000 years.

Review by Louise Keller:
There might be a riveting adventure thriller to be made from Dan Brown’s controversial bestseller, but this is not it. Melodramatic, overlong and dare I say occasionally boring, Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code gets lost in the maze of its puzzles and media hype. A murder, scrambled code, famous artworks, the search for the holy grail and the greatest cover up by protectors of religious sects…. The Church is outraged at the storyline that shatters its teachings, although those who are familiar with theories set out by theologists will no doubt see it differently. The themes are sensational, yet the film is anticlimactic delivering little tension or sense of reality.

Ian McKellen’s crusty English symbologist is the best thing in the film, while Paul Bettany’s self-flagellating Albino monk is chillingly good albeit over directed in his last few scenes, when he slips into a zombie movie. But Tom Hanks is miscast as the religious symbologist involved in the chalice of intrigue, and seems overly earnest and mechanical. Audrey Tautou, whose unique talents were on best display in Amelie, has little opportunity to shine and her stilted English pronunciation, although charming, is less than spontaneous. Never mind that the script doesn’t call for romance, but there is zero charisma between the two. In fact, the greatest connection comes at the moment when McKellen’s Sir Leigh Teabing kisses Sophie’s hand, when they are introduced.

There are betrayals, duplicities and some well delivered reveals. There are plenty of tight close ups, often to the film’s detriment, when we lose sense of place. Howard’s decision to include grainy flashbacks is frustrating rather than involving. And Hans Zimmer’s music is surprisingly unimaginative. The production design is striking though, and Paris landmarks are shown off like jewels. The Louvre, beautifully night-lit is spectacular, even though Jean Reno’s gruff cop mutters ‘It’s a scar on the face of Paris.’

I resisted reading the book to date, wanting to see the film with as fresh an eye as possible. Even a fresh eye was disappointed. Thank goodness for that last extraordinary camera shot, the best cinematic moment in the film.