HD DVD Review: A Mighty Heart

By Frankie Dees Oct 19, 2007, 13:36 GMT

Based on Mariane Pearl\'s account of the terrifying and unforgettable story of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl\'s life and death. ...more

An adaptation of Mariane Pearl’s harrowing memoir of the same name, Angelina Jolie shepherds the Mariane role in this careful, poignant saga of Danny Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter who is kidnapped by terrorists in Pakistan shortly after 9/11. 

Resourceful British director Michael Winterbottom, a perfect choice for this material, is no stranger to politics and the Middle East where he has ventured in the past with ‘The Road to Guantanamo’, ‘In This World,’ and ‘Welcome to Sarajevo’.

Shaping his films like a documentary, he rarely relies on manipulation or sensationalism to draw an audience’s interest, instead presenting the pieces of the story with a methodical low-key approach, and letting the emotion and tension build, where justified, from credible situations.  

The film starts off in the packed streets of Karachi, Pakistan – a metropolis heaving with population, vehicles, smoke, and animals – where a mere step onto a packed sidewalk might result in claustrophobia. In the last weeks of January, 2002, this was where the Pearls were working as journalists with the couple having previously covered the U.S. bombings of Afghanistan.

Mariane, a French (also of Cuban and Dutch descent) radio journalist was pregnant during the restive five weeks after her husband Danny (Dan Futterman, ‘The Birdcage’, scribe of ‘Capote’) got into a cab in Karachi and never returned.

The screenplay, carefully orchestrated by John Orloff, looks at this five-week search for Danny through the eyes of Mariane as she deals her various friends and allies, the clues and leaks of the kidnappers identities all the while amidst the hailstorm of the press that I’m sure we all remember.

Support comes in the form of a WSJ colleague and friend Asra (Archie Panjabi) whose residence becomes the nerve center of the investigation, a Pakistan detective ‘Captain’ (Irrfan Khan) who becomes determined to find Danny to keep Pakistan in the good graces of the international aura, an American agent Randall Bennett (Will Patton) and Danny’s boss at the Wall Street Journal John Bussey (Denis O’Hare) who arrives for support and assistance with the diplomatics.

The story progresses through the various leads and interrogations that the investigation attains but this story largely revolves around Mariane and the slow-build tension of what an Earth-shattering event like this could feel like. The film notably stays away from any direct dealings with Danny and his kidnappers where the filmmakers rather smartly don’t attempt to give any insight into the kidnapper’s personalities or motivations nor does the film show the notorious and grisly video. 

Most of us have seen Mariane Pearl in interviews, one notable interview that’s recreated in the film will prove recognizable for anyone that had a TV on during those couple months in 2002, and know the inflections of her voice and even Mariane’s own brave performance in front of the cameras to give us the message that she “will not be terrorized” – a controversial decision that some read as indifferent or cold. Knowing this, Angelina Jolie does a great job with a highly difficult role. Adopting the black hair, and curly-coiffed hairstyle and French accent of Mariane, she commands the screen with a calculated, subdued performance.

The film was shot on location in Pakistan, India, and France and authenticity permeates through every frame. This is a thriller that generates tension, not through the action as most do, but through the inability to produce the action. The majority of us will know how this ends but that doesn’t stop us from connecting to the frustrations and tragedy.

The film is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen with a hi-def transfer that accurately recreates the theatrical experience. Winterbottom chose to film this on a digital camera, mostly handheld, in a documentary style that uses a lot of natural light so in that respect the picture is mostly soft.

Definition and color is competent but this isn’t ‘Transformers’ and was never supposed to be so the differences between SD and HD for this title will be negligible for most. A Dolby TrueHD and DD Plus 5.1 are both provided and do the job on a dialogue-driven film. 

Special Features consist of a thirty-minute making of ‘A Journey of Passion’ that includes the unusual interviews with cast & crew. There are a few shots and footage of the real Pearls here for those who don’t remember. Next is a Public-service announcement for the Pearl Foundation and an eight-minute ‘Committee to Protect Journalists’ featurette finish off the extras. 

A film that proves itself with the details of the tragedy and lets the drama expand from there, Winterbottom fashions an effective semi-documentary approach to a real event much like what Paul Greengrass did with ‘United 93’.

While some might have preferred more focus on the actual kidnapping and that side of the story, I found Jolie’s performance compelling and raw, and more than carries the emotional core of the film.

A Mighty Heart HD DVD is now available at Amazon. Visit the DVD database for more information.