| Decoding Dan
| | | A still from Da Vinci Code | The Da Vinci Code **1/2
Dir: Ron Howard
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou
Plot: Just like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Ron Howard's much-debated flick opens with the murder of renowned curator, Jacques Sauniere, in the Louvre Musuem in Paris.
The deceased leaves behind a key to an artefact in a nearby painting — a Carravagio, in the Grand Gallery of the museum.
American symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) arrives at the scene to crack the code and soon gets entangled in a cat-and-mouse game with the French cops.
His assistants in the pursuit are the pretty Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) and English aristocrat, Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen).
The threesome pore over a Leonardo Da Vinci painting that suggests Jesus Christ's married Mary Magdalene, and sired children, and that the church deliberately suppressed this.
The challengers — a cold-blooded Silas, who is also in search of the Holy Grail; and a set of priests who cannot let the descendants of Christ ridicule the Biblical fact that he could never breed and raise a family.
Acting: All the characters have been well-etched. Tom Hanks as a simpleton, who continues to be haunted by his caught-in-a-well experience, deserves a pat on the back.
French actress Audrey Tautou, curious to know about her parents' background and coping with her grandfather's strict advice, looks believable.
Ian McKellen's lively portrayal of a chirpy and greedy aristocrat, who nurtures secret ambitions to steal the Holy Grail for his own purpose, is commendable. Paul Bettany as the cold-blooded and obscure Silas provides the element of violence.
What's hot? Replete with occasional references to history — the Priory of Sion and the Knights Templar, Howard enables the viewers to have an average understanding of the context.
Thankfully, he chooses to be different by not pitching in a brewing romance between Hanks and Tautou after she is reunited with her grandmother. Ian McKellen shouting, "The French cannot be trusted," while making way with the wanted Hanks and Tautou, and hostage Bettany, evokes laughter.
Paul Bettany's overpowering portrayal of a self-tormentor as he inflicts bloody wounds on his body, will surely move you.
What's not? A strong narrative is missing. Also, the screenplay fails to speed up and Howard could easily have done away with a good 20 minutes.
Bottom line: First things first, Howard's film should be treated as a separate piece of art, and comparisons with the book can be avoided. And as Hanks says, only an individual's faith matters the most, and theories should not make a difference |
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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