Based on the memoir of Mariane Pearl on the terrifying and unforgettable story of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Danial Pearl’s life and death, "A Mighty Heart’ brilliantly portrays the events, captured in a heart-wrenching drama directed by Micheal Winterbottom.
Shot in various locations in Pakistan, India, France and London, the British director treats the movie with the right ingredients of compassion and empathy to present a raw and riveting adaptation superbly captured in its truest essence.
While Wall Street Journal reporter Danial Pearl (Dan Futterman) research on "shoe bomber" Richard Reid and his connections with Islamic militant groups in Karachi, Pakistan in early 2002, he arranges a meeting with an elusive source, Sheikh Gilani, an Islamic cleric.
As Danny left for the meeting, he told his pregnant wife Mariane Pearl, herself a journalist in her native France, that he might be late for dinner. But he never returned. A worried Mariane is frantically trying to reach her husband only to learn a shocking truth that changed her life forver – Danny has been kidnapped by a militant group.
Shattered by the shocking news, Mariane quickly essembles a team comprising of Danny’s collegue Asra (Archie Punjabi of "Bend It Like Beckham), Danny’s bodd Jonh Bussey (Denis O’Hare) along with a team of Pakistan’s anti-terrorism officers headed by a man only known as Captian (Irrfan Khan of "Namesake") and begins an agonizing quest to locate her husband, who during the course of time has been accused of working for Mossad and CIA.
The movie focuses on the developments of a distraught search by an agiatated wife for her kidnapped husband until she recieves the news she has been dreading all along.
Jolie’s portrayal of Mariane Pearl in the movie is simply superb, her best since ‘Girl Interrupted’ that earned her an Oscar. The way she carried herself in stepping into Mariane’s shoes with the convincing make-up, hair-do and accent only adds to a dazzling performance that does complete justice to the charachter.
Futterman, who played Danial Pearl, portrayed his charachter with perfect ease. The terrific perormaces by Irrfan Khan and Archie Punjabi are note-worthy.
As for the direction, it should only be praised for the detail thrown into it bringing the tragedy with full force. The gruesome murder of Pearl wasn’t portrayed in the movie but I had to agree that the caution with which the movie was treated only adds to the emotional impact.
The only weak point – the movie tends to drag at some points (like the scenes in which the anti-terrorism officers were hunting down for suspects in various locations). The editors could have chopped of some of the lengthy footage to bring about more effect.
Over all, ‘A Mighty Heart’ is a great adapation of the story that lead to the incident that shocked the world. Watch it for the powerful performance by Jolie and the impeccable direction by Winterbottom. Highly recommended!
8.8/10
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