Movie Review - The DaVinci Code

Travelling Spaghetti Monster Film Critic

CAUTION: MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS

In this sequel to National Treasure, Tom Hanks (You’ve Got Mail) plays the lead role of Robert Langdon, a university professor in France on vacation and Audrey Tautou (debut performance) plays his love interest Sophie, a witless cleaner. The action heats up when Langdon is wrongly accused of the murder of an old derelict in a quiet hall of the Museum of Paris. After uncovering a few clues to the identity of the real killer, the pair set off on a breakneck chase in which danger and lengthy discussion lurk at every turn. In pursuit are the true villains: an evil pope played by Alex Rocco and a crossing-dressing pervert played by Gary Busey. A befuddled detective played by John Reno follows along, adding some much needed comic relief. Ian McKellen, reprising his role as Galdalf the Grey, plays a useful ally in the troubled pair’s flight.

The Catholic Church has registered its strong disapproval of this film, getting into its biggest huff since the publication of those unflattering Danish cartoons a few months ago. Their quarrel is believed to be with Rocco’s shady pontiff. It is clearly lost on them that this is truly a breakout role for the actor and the sitcom hunk’s performance is outstanding. Eternal damnation might lie at the end of the road for Rocco, but only after a length run of superstardom it would appear. Other actors deserving commendation include Busey, who stretches the limits of good taste for the sake of his art and Hanks who did not appear to forget a single line – a remarkable achievement given the film’s lengthy running time. My only complaint is with an unnecessary twist at the end in which Sophie discovers that she is adopted. This storyline is not adequately resolved and the plot would have been tighter without this complication. In the big picture, this is a trifling issue indeed. Five stars!