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Movies / On DVD / A Mighty Heart
A Mighty Heart

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A Mighty Heart (2007)

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Reviews Counted:181

Fresh:139

Rotten:42

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Angelina Jolie conveys the full emotional range of a woman in a desperate situation in A Mighty Heart, an urgent yet tactful film about a difficult subject.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:21-09-2007

Synopsis: Prolific director Michael Winterbottom (24-HOUR PARTY PEOPLE) takes an unusual turn by helming A MIGHTY HEART--a studio picture starring none other than Angelina Jolie. Jolie stars as Mariane... Prolific director Michael Winterbottom (24-HOUR PARTY PEOPLE) takes an unusual turn by helming A MIGHTY HEART--a studio picture starring none other than Angelina Jolie. Jolie stars as Mariane Pearl, the widow of WALL STREET JOURNAL reporter Daniel Pearl. Daniel was kidnapped and executed in Pakistan in 2002, and Winterbottom's film centers on the frantic activities leading up to his death. Fellow journalist Mariane revs into action as soon as the disappearance of her husband is announced, calling on the FBI and experts in terrorism to help in the desperate search. With the media circling around the story like hawks, Mariane endures a very public display of grief, and her plight is perfectly captured by the unlikely alliance of Winterbottom and Jolie. The film was shot mostly in Karachi and uses locations that Daniel was known to have visited, adding a heady dose of authenticity to the proceedings. Winterbottom uses shaky, hand-held cameras, which add to the feeling of chaos as multiple organizations descend on Pakistan in the quest to find Daniel; fortunately the director uses some much-needed on-screen captions to make sure viewers are up to speed on who everyone is. A MIGHTY HEART is tough, emotional viewing that will be challenging (yet rewarding) for many audiences, even those who are already familiar with this heartbreaking story. [More]

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan, Archie Panjabi

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan, Archie Panjabi, Will Patton, Denis O'Hare

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Director: Michael Winterbottom
Screenwriter: John Orloff
Producer: Brad Pitt, Andrew Eaton, Dede Gardner
Composer: Harry Escott, Molly Nyman
Studio: Paramount Vantage

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Reviews for A Mighty Heart

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161 - 180 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Given the pitfalls the director's achievement is considerable...makes its point without falling into the Stanley Kramer trap of becoming obvious and smugly didactic about it.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
06/20/07
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

All too often, the point of the story collapses under the weight of [director Winterbottom's] political priorities. He’s a prolific Don Quixote, committed to tilting cinematic windmills, but he goes about the job clumsily.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
06/20/07
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer

There's hardly a moment when Jolie is on-screen that you can't sense the presence of make-up artists and hair stylists hovering anxiously just off frame.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment 2 Comments
06/20/07
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice

Our news media is letting us down and killing us with frivolity; thank God Michael Winterbottom is there trying to take up the slack.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
06/20/07
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

Angelina Jolie's powerful performance is the true heart and soul of what's often a rather clinical missing persons investigation.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
06/20/07
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

The movie, directed by Michael Winterbottom, lies about as far from the trials of Lara Croft as is cinematically possible.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
06/19/07
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
New Yorker

For those who know the story, all the rushing about soon seems redundant and unnecessary, but perhaps those who don't will bring more patience to the story.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
06/19/07
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

A labyrinth of corruption and buzz words that resonate with anxiety and afford some narrative confusion.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
06/18/07
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

A Mighty Heart is clipped, blunt, and grimly realistic.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
06/18/07
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine

Winterbottom's aversion to sentimentality doesn't mean you won't be moved by A Mighty Heart.

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
06/18/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

Angelina Jolie gives one of the most commanding and moving performances of her career.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
06/18/07
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Any story being told where the conclusion is anticipated and inevitable retains an enormous, likely insurmountable narrative disadvantage.

Full Review Source: Bangitout.com | comment Comment
06/18/07
Jordan Hiller
Jordan Hiller
Bangitout.com

The film’s strict avoidance of exploitation and sensationalism only adds to the film’s emotional impact.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
06/15/07
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Mariane Pearl is a Spartan wife with a steel base throughout the horrific ordeal skillfully directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
06/14/07
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

The twisting of narrative perspective that pushes the missing man's wife so insistently into the foreground makes A Mighty Heart a mighty challenge.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
06/13/07
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

The movie's frantic bustle releases into an explosion of grief when Mariane finds out what we already know.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
06/13/07
Jurgen Fauth
Jurgen Fauth
About.com

Bad Michael Winterbottom movies are not uncommon, but none have been as useless as A Mighty Heart.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment 8 Comments
06/07/07
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Those willing to stay with this often demanding film, though, will find an unusually balanced view that celebrates not only Mariane's courage, but the Pakistanis who fought valiantly on her behalf.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
06/06/07
Erica Abeel
Erica Abeel
Film Journal International

"A Mighty Heart," like the other post-9/11 Hollywood movies ("United 93" and "World Trade Center"), is a would-be documentary subject inflated with promotion in its incarnation as a narrative feature.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment 7 Comments
06/04/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Taking his cue from Mariane’s memoir, Winterbottom (no stranger to the “War on Terror”—see last year’s The Road to Guantánamo) wisely structures A Mighty Heart like a procedural.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
05/26/07
Melissa Anderson
Melissa Anderson
Time Out New York
 
 
161 - 180 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

Latest News for A Mighty Heart

January 29, 2009: Screenwriter Set for Ian Fleming Biopic Opens in new window
"Fleming," the Ian Fleming biopic being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, has itself a writer: John Orloff, who penned "A Mighty Heart." More...

September 30, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

December 21, 2007: Awards Mania: Spirits, SAGs Get Waivers, Announce Nominations; Uncertainty Surrounds Golden Globes
Just when you think awards season can't get any awards-ier, here come two more sets of nominations! More...

December 14, 2007: Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe Wright's Atonement leading the pack at eight nominations apiece. More...

See All

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