A Mighty Heart (2007)
Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Written by John Orloff
Starring Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irfan Khan
Release Date June 22nd, 2007
Published June 21st, 2007
The death of journalist Daniel Pearl is one of the seminal moments in the history of middle east terrorism; post 9/11. In the post 9/11 world few deaths were as shocking, brutal and senseless as that of the Wall Street Journal's middle east bureau chief. Pearl was chasing a story when he was killed and whether he was set up as a suspected CIA spy or randomly taken because he was an American and Jewish; only deepens the intrigue and the tragedy of his death.
The movie A Mighty Heart tells the story behind the death of Daniel Pearl from the perspective of his wife Mariane and the police officers who searched high and low trying to save his life. It's a gut-wrenching story and one that is instructive of the bravery it takes to live in and report in the age of terror.
In January of 2002 Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) left his temporary home in Karachi Pakistan for a meeting he hoped would give him an important insight into the story of Richard Reed, aka the shoe bomber. Daniel has been warned that the man he is meeting with is quite dangerous and that the meeting should take place in public, something Daniel assures colleagues will be the case.
Unfortunately, Daniel Pearl would not return home that night. While friends gathered at his home with his pregnant wife Mariane (Angelina Jolie), Daniel was taken hostage and disappeared into the black hole of Karachi's terrorist underground. It will be days before photos emerge of Daniel being held by terrorists we will later learn are affiliated with Al Qaeda.
The film A Mighty Heart from director Michael Winterbottom, unfolds with a documentary style, handheld camera, look that makes every scene burn with immediacy. We are thrust immediately from Daniel Pearl's disappearance into the frantic search lead by Mariane and her friend and fellow journalist Nasirin (Sairah Khan) who jump right into the investigation of who Daniel met with that day and when.
Their research is very useful to the Pakistani police lead by the Captain (Irfan Khan) who allows Daniel's wife and friends and fellow journalists to play an active role in the investigation. The American government is quick to pitch in as well as US envoy Randall Bennett (Will Patton) pledges as much US government support possible.
As A Mighty Heart unfolds Michael Winterbottom's approach gains the momentum of a large rock rolling down a hill. It is at once a fast moving ride and a droning, numbing procession toward a known conclusion. The fact that we know Daniel Pearl is going to die does not take away from the excitement of the chase, which is rather reminiscent of a very good episode of Law & Order.
The problem is that the pace of the investigation and the fast paced tone of the storytelling causes the films heart to recede into the background. Though Mariane Pearl is at the center of most of the action, her husband Daniel seems to disappear inside this narrative and never emerges. Then there are times when even Mariane fades into the background as the search for the terrorists moves front and center.
While I wish we could know Daniel Pearl better we do get a good sense of his heart from the portrayal of his wife Mariane by Angelina Jolie. This is a wrenching, heart breaking performance. One of, if not the, best performance of Ms. Jolie's career. Her Mariane Pearl is fierce and defensive but also quite vulnerable and romantic. Her spirited defense of her husband's pursuit of a story, even in risking his own life to get it, is one of the films most powerful moments.
Another compelling performance is that of Indian actor Irfan Khan in his American movie debut. Khan plays the captain, the lead Pakistani investigator in the search for Daniel Pearl. The performance is strong and determined however, as the investigation takes center stage in the films second act, the film becomes more remote and distant. The chase scenes and interrogations are tense and well shot in Winterbottom's documentary style but what is lost are the characters whose stories are being told, Daniel and Mariane Pearl.
A Mighty Heart is a consistently compelling but remote drama that suffers a documentary style approach that places to much distance between us in the audience and the tragedy that unfolds before us. Director Michael Winterbottom is a pre-eminent auteur who crafts a number of very effective scenes in A Mighty Heart. Unfortunately his cold hard facts approach to telling this story keeps the drama and emotion at a distance.
A Mighty Heart leaves you wanting some sort of catharsis, some kind of emotional resolution. Instead we are left with is merely a cold appreciation of the films technique and an admiration for the real life bravery of Mariane Pearl. That might be satisfying enough for some but will leave most wanting more
