The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Don’t rob me of my hate - it’s all I have!
THE SUMMARY: A man who knows too much is wrongfully imprisoned, spends over a decade honing his skills and wisdom before escaping to recover a treasure, earn his vengeance, and gain a family he didn’t know he had. It’s my favorite sort of movie: one of surprise excellence. Even if a little too neat and clean in its happy ending, it’s a hit in all its themes: the balance between vengeance and moral principle, the struggle to understand and relate to God, and of course, the value and utility of hate. Apparently this is prison break month - this movie is like Shawshank meets Pirates meets Princess Bride.
FROM MOVIE-PICKER JACOB: This one has a lot going on. It almost seems like two movies in one. I love how many twists and turns there are. I also love how believable this plot is despite being quite fantastical. The director really covers all the bases and tells a complete story, which I think a lot of novels turned movies fail to do.
THE BEST:
The moral constraints of vengeance: It’s a movie made for this show - even when vengeance is perfectly justified, what are the moral constraints in pursuing and achieving it? It’s important to recognize that without restraints, Edmond’s quest for revenge against those who imprisoned him is likely not achieved as perfectly as it is. Jacopo convinces Edmond to show mercy to Mercédès. Embracing Mercédès reveals her fidelity, and in turn, she intervenes to stop the fight between Edmond and his true son, leading to proper vengeance against Ferdnand. And all of this is enabled by Edmond’s mercy to Jacopo in the first place, sparing his life and securing a friend who plays an integral role in achieving the goal.
The point is that unrestrained ruthlessness, no matter how wronged one may be to prompt it, is neither moral nor productive. Without acts of mercy for a higher moral purpose, Edmond’s quest is almost certainly less successful, and he has less to show for himself upon completion.
That said, moral perfection is for God, not us: Still, I must recognize the satisfaction of at least a little bit of ruthlessness against the truly deserving. When Edmond defeats Ferdnand, Ferdnand asks ‘what happened to your mercy?’ Edmond replies ‘I’m a count - not a saint’ (a callback to Priest earlier). It’s a seemingly simple line, but its meaning is profound. Moral perfection is for God, not for us. We have an obligation to maintain a moral direction, but we will make mistakes, or even intentional deviations.
It may sound like my second point here contradicts the first - we should constrain our vengeance, but also celebrate a little ruthlessness? No contradiction - just make sure the ruthlessness is saved properly and precisely for those truly deserving. The guys responsible for intentionally locking you away for over a decade would certainly qualify. Make your ruthlessness the exception, not the rule.
The battle of accepting and rejecting God: The movie is a meaningful commentary about the nature of your relationship with God - some of it explicit in the dialogue, and some of it nestled in the plot. Throughout his prison time, Edmond’s belief in God crumbles. He enters prison telling the warden that God is always watching, and by his escape, Edmond tells Priest that just as the inscription that ‘God will give him justice’ has faded, God has faded from Edmond’s heart. Before Priest dies, Edmond tells him he no longer believes in God, and Priest responds ‘it doesn’t matter - he believes in you.’
The lesson here is not simply that God the being is always present with you - it’s the principles that God represents too. Moral truth is always present. Your purpose is always present. Whether you accept or recognize these things or not, they are always there. Even if your life was abused by others or wasted by you, it has a purpose, it always had a purpose, your attitude about that purpose doesn’t change it, and you will only find fulfillment when you accept this ever-present truth.
The value of hate: Another simple but powerful line I love is Edmond responding to Mercédès trying to persuade him of her fidelity: ‘don’t rob me of my hate - it’s all I have.’ Arguably the intended message of the line is Edmond should let go of his hate, but of course he doesn’t, and if he did, the movie would be completely different.
It’s insightful commentary on the actual value of hate. Hate has motivated Edmond’s return to his wife and son, the acquisition of a fortune, and the subsequent future they build together. This isn’t to argue hate is of universal value, but contrary to modern conventional wisdom, it certainly has its purpose.
We generally hear various iterations of ‘no hate’ or ‘hate has no place’-type platitudes to insist it’s never okay to hate. But like anything else, it’s a relative question. Hatred of what? To the extent evil exists, shouldn’t we hate it? To embrace the evil is to become evil, so why wouldn’t the moral thing be to hate the evil?
Hating wickedness is in fact a virtuous thing. It ensures we challenge and defeat it. If you love everything and hate nothing, is it really possible to make any moral distinctions at all?
Hard work pays off, even if in a way you didn’t foresee: Another theme I love in the movie is the value of arduous, seemingly impossible hard work, not just because it pays off over the long run, but because, as depicted, hard work can often create completely unforeseen opportunities. Edmond and Priest work together to dig an escape tunnel for years thinking they’ll one day crawl to freedom together. Of course they don’t, and Priest dies from injury in a tunnel collapse, but that death creates the opportunity that provides for Edmond’s entirely different escape - in Priest’s bodybag.
The point is those who work hard are rewarded, even if in ways different from expected. And even if its for people different from expected. Those who work toward opportunity tend to get it. Those who quit don’t.
God believes in you
Don’t rob me of my hate!
Edmond’s escape
THE WORST:
The ending is too neat and clean: For all the important moral dilemmas the movie presents, I expected an ending that illustrated some tradeoffs. Maybe Edmond pursues vengeance at the cost of something significant like his family (though Mercédès does get meaninglessly shot), or maybe Edmond’s loss of faith in God produces some sort of negative effect. A real twist would have been Edmond killing Albert, only to learn after that he’s Albert’s father, left to think if the thirst for vengeance was worth the high price.
Instead, Edmond gains everything and loses nothing. He gets his vengeance. He gets his wealth. He gets his family. He gets the full redemption his dead mentor hoped he would. There are no tradeoffs, and there are no prices paid for difficult moral decisions.
I guess if anyone deserves a break from the suffering, it would be Edmond, but the ending was so easy and clean it left me with far less to think about than every scene prior.
Where did they get the digging tools?: Maybe I missed it, but unlike Shawshank, it’s not clear how Edmond and Priest got the tools to do the digging. It appears Priest is using just some sort of metal rod to chisel at the rock and soil. Maybe it’s a broken cell bar? Given these prison cells are completely empty (Edmond gets accustomed to sleeping on the floor because there isn’t even a bed), it’s hard to believe the tools for excavation were present.
Not recognizing Edmond is a little far-fetched: Of course Mercédès does, but Ferdnand doesn’t until Edmond shaves his ‘count’ goatee. The idea that some volumizing shampoo and a little bit of facial hair would be sufficient to disguise your best friend from recognition is silly. I’ve gone for years, or in some cases, even a decade-plus without seeing friends - I still recognize them immediately upon reunion.
Lots of dark shots in the first half: I don’t mean to argue it’s inappropriate since in both theme and the literal light conditions, the first half of the movie is dark. It’s supposed to depict despair in prison, so dark is fitting. However, it is somewhat difficult to watch in a brightly lit room or with a dim display. Turn off the lights, turn up the brightness. Unless you’re a silhouette enthusiast - then you’ll love the aesthetic.
A neat and clean ending
THE RATING: 4/5 Wickies. I seriously considered a coveted Five Wicky™, because the movie is excellent in its exploration of moral themes and is entertaining throughout, but the easy, happy ending spoils it slightly for me. Still, highly recommended, and highly praised.
YOUR RATING: Vote here ⬇
NEXT WEEK: Ex Machina (2014)
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