Review: The Da Vinci Code, A Thinking Man's Adventure
- Aug 13, 2018
- 2 min read
Symbols, and their use throughout history and mythology, is something that fascinates me. So a movie centred around uncovering the mysteries of the past, decrypting centuries old codes, and conspiracy theories, led by Tom Hanks, how could I not be entertained.
Robert Langdon (Hanks) finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly murder. The curator of The Louvre is dead, and in his last moments he left behind a series of codes and symbols. French police, namely Captain Fache (Jean Reno), believe his goal was to identify his killer, and think that man is Langdon. But fellow officer, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) thinks otherwise, and helps him escape. So begins a chase across France, one in which more parties than first apparent are involved.
The easiest way to describe The Da Vinci Code is like Indiana Jones if the punching of Nazis and whipping of Arabs was replaced with intense discussion of secrets, the decoding of various ancient ciphers and conspiracies and cover-ups spanning the vast majority of civilized history. Layers upon layers waiting to be uncovered, a slowly unfolding reality built deep into the roots of Christianity. It's thoroughly interesting, helped in no small part by a series of excellent performances.
Be it Tom Hanks' fast talking Langdon, delivering exposition with such energy and fervour that it becomes far too easy to become caught up in the story, or an unexpected, and oh so good performance by Ian McKellen, a man both zealous in his faith and determined in his pursuit of the truth. It is the performance of Paul Bettany however, that is the stand out. As a sadistic, self flagellating albino zealot, he is equal parts enthralling and terrifying, his short temper and endless drive forming one of the mid 2000s best villains
I don't know what it is about The Da Vinci Code that I like so much, though I suspect it's a combination of adventure, acting, storytelling and some of composer Hans Zimmer's best work that brings it altogether into an endlessly re-watchable thrill ride that I can never not enjoy.
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