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.
A Mighty Heart (2007)
Tomatometer
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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.
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
Reviews for A Mighty Heart
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.
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.
Our news media is letting us down and killing us with frivolity; thank God Michael Winterbottom is there trying to take up the slack.
Angelina Jolie's powerful performance is the true heart and soul of what's often a rather clinical missing persons investigation.
The movie, directed by Michael Winterbottom, lies about as far from the trials of Lara Croft as is cinematically possible.
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.
A labyrinth of corruption and buzz words that resonate with anxiety and afford some narrative confusion.
Winterbottom's aversion to sentimentality doesn't mean you won't be moved by A Mighty Heart.
Angelina Jolie gives one of the most commanding and moving performances of her career.
Any story being told where the conclusion is anticipated and inevitable retains an enormous, likely insurmountable narrative disadvantage.
The film’s strict avoidance of exploitation and sensationalism only adds to the film’s emotional impact.
Mariane Pearl is a Spartan wife with a steel base throughout the horrific ordeal skillfully directed by Michael Winterbottom.
The twisting of narrative perspective that pushes the missing man's wife so insistently into the foreground makes A Mighty Heart a mighty challenge.
The movie's frantic bustle releases into an explosion of grief when Mariane finds out what we already know.
Bad Michael Winterbottom movies are not uncommon, but none have been as useless as A Mighty Heart.
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.
"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.
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.
Latest News for A Mighty Heart
January 29, 2009:
Screenwriter Set for Ian Fleming Biopic ![]()
"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 ![]()
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...
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