Movies / Movie Reviews

A Mighty Heart

By Herve St-Louis
October 2, 2007 - 14:20

A Mighty Heart
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan, Adnan Siddiqui, Alyy Khan
Directed by: Michael Winterbottom
Produced by: Andrew Eaton, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner
Genres: Drama, Adaptation, Biopic and War
Running Time: 1 hr. 48 min.
Release Date: June 22nd, 2007 (limited)
MPAA Rating: R for language.
Distributors: Paramount Vantage, Paramount Pictures International

In 2002, Daniel Pearl (Futterman), a reporter for Wall Street Journal, and their South Asia Bureau Chief, wanted to verify a story and conduct an interview with known Islamic militant Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani at a restaurant in Karachi, Pakistan. Instead, he was kidnapped, leaving pregnant wife Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl (Jolie) and several associates to look for him in the crowed city. This story is adapted from the novel A Mighty Heart, written by Mariane Pearl.

The movie is almost documentary-like, with snippets from the Pearls lives intersected throughout the narrative. Here, the star of the film is Jolie, and she delivers a convincing Mariane with the exact French accent and typical French woman headstrong attitude and class. The movie seems all too short with little sustenance to validate a full feature film.  It has a minute attention to details that helps viewers understand what occurred. Some may be annoyed by the political message it advocates, against terrorism and anti-Semitism. Although these are the underlying themes of the film, the main message at the end, is not hatred against terror, but an opportunity for humans to overcome obstacles and continue with their lives.

The cinematography is dramatic and has a documentary feel, with scenes shot in close quarters. Much of the film is shot in India and Pakistan, whose backdrops were essential for such a movie. It’s a tribute these countries’ film industries that such a charged film could be shot on site. This film feels like it lacks contents to really be fulfilling and that the story would have made a better telefilm, than a feature length story. Yet, it showed that Angelina Jolie has a wider range of roles in her quiver.

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51