Edmond Dantès becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d’If, he manages a daring escape. Now rich beyond his dreams, he assumes the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo and exacts his revenge on the three men who betrayed him. A film by Matthieu Delaporte & Alexandre de La Patellière, starring Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei, Pierfrancesco Favino, Patrick Mille, Vassili Schneider, Julien de Saint Jean, Julie de Bona, Adèle Simphal, Stéphane Varupenne, Marie Narbonne, and Laurent Lafitte.

In 1815, after being driven from power, Napoleon takes refuge on the island of Elba. While his loyal supporters dream of his return, the new royalist regime hunts them down mercilessly. Arrests and executions multiply in what amounts to a civil war.

On a stormy night off the coast of Cap Corse, the merchant ship Le Pharaon crosses paths with a vessel engulfed in flames. Edmond Dantès (Pierre Niney), a crew member of Le Pharaon, spots a castaway floating in the sea and jumps into the dark waters to attempt a rescue, defying Captain’s orders.

Cap Corse is a peninsula located at the northern tip of Corsica, France. It extends approximately 40 kilometers in length and is situated just north of the city of Bastia, which is the second largest city on the island. The peninsula is part of a Communauté de communes that includes 18 communes, covering an area of about 305.7 km². Historically, Cap Corse has been referred to as “the Sacred Promontory,” a name attributed to early Christian settlements in the area. This name originates from ancient geographer Ptolemy, who described it as sacrum promontorium in his works.

Edmond dives underwater and saves a woman (Adèle Simphal) from drowning. When he brings her back to Le Pharaon, Captain Danglars (Patrick Mille) becomes infuriated and slaps him for insubordination, confining him below deck as punishment. Danglars notices the castaway gripping a small document tube in her hand. He yanks it from her grasp and discovers it contains a letter from Napoleon. Recognizing its danger and importance, he seizes the letter.

As Le Pharaon approaches Marseille, the woman confronts Danglars and demands the return of her letter. However, Danglars refuses and attempts to extort money from her in exchange for it. The woman insists she has no money and warns Danglars that if he ever speaks of the letter, her friends will find him and they will kill him.

Je n’oublierai jamais votre courage.
Mais oubliez mon nom.

In Marseille, as the woman disembarks, she encounters Edmond. She thanks him for saving her life and apologizes for causing him trouble. Introducing herself as Angèle, she bids him farewell before disappearing into the crowd.

Danglars reports the incident to his employer Morrel (Bruno Raffaelli), claiming that Dantès wanted to launch a lifeboat when they hit debris. Danglars explains that he forbade this action, but Dantès dove into the water anyway. When Danglars complains that he no longer wants such an uncontrollable sailor on his ship, Morrel responds by firing Danglars from his position as Captain. Instead of punishment, Morrel commends Dantès for saving a woman’s life and upholding his honor. After Danglars leaves, Morrel introduces his grandson Maximilien (Joachim Simon) to Dantès and then names Dantès as the new Captain.

Edmond visits his fiancée Mercédès Herrera de Morcerf (Anaïs Demoustier) to share the great news of his promotion to Captain. His new social status now allows him to propose marriage. Together they ride horseback to Morcerf castle, where Mercédès drops him off.

There, Edmond shares his promotion news with his father Louis (Bernard Blancan), who works as a butler for the Morcerf family. Pleased and proud of his son, Louis urges Edmond to announce the news to Mr. and Mrs. Morcerf, reminding him that they were the ones who funded his naval studies.

At the Morcerf family’s dining table, Edmond shares his great news. His friend Fernand de Morcerf (Bastien Bouillon) proposes a toast to celebrate Edmond becoming the youngest captain in Marseille. Mercédès, who is also a cousin of the Morcerf family, arrives late, claiming her horse Horace de Balios had been difficult to manage. She then feigns surprise at learning of Edmond’s promotion.

On the Morcerf yacht, Edmond shares more news with Fernand, asking him to be his witness at his upcoming wedding. Fernand is initially confused, being unaware that Edmond was even in love, let alone had a girlfriend. When Mercédès reveals that she is Edmond’s bride-to-be, Fernand appears visibly shocked. Neither Edmond nor Mercédès realizes that Fernand has long harbored secret feelings for Mercédès.

During the wedding ceremony, Edmond is arrested by soldiers carrying a royal order from King’s Prosecutor Gérard de Villefort. Fernand steps in and insists on accompanying Edmond to wherever they’re taking him. However, his request is denied, as the royal order explicitly states that Edmond must be taken alone. Before Edmond is led away, Fernand assures him that he will take care of the situation.

Edmond is brought to the King’s Prosecutor’s office, where he meets Gérard de Villefort (Laurent Lafitte). Villefort presents him with an order of mission letter signed by Napoleon, which was found tucked in Edmond’s bible in his cabin aboard Le Pharaon. Edmond denies any knowledge of the letter, claiming this is the first time he has seen it. He explains to Gérard that he had saved a woman from drowning off the coast of Cap Corse, and she later disembarked in Marseille. Edmond urges Villefort to verify his story with Quartermaster Gaspard Caderousse.

Initially, Gérard believes Edmond’s account and offers to help, citing his friendship with the Morcerfs. However, his demeanor changes when Edmond mentions the woman’s name was Angèle – unknowingly revealing that the castaway was Gérard’s own sister. Gérard then carefully questions Edmond to ensure he hasn’t mentioned Angèle to anyone else.

To protect himself, Gérard devises a plan to silence Edmond. When Fernand arrives at his office to defend his friend, Gérard claims that Edmond faces serious accusations from his crewmates. He promises to free Edmond if Fernand vouches for his innocence. However, upon realizing that Edmond’s imprisonment would clear his path to Mercédès, Fernand instead chooses to sign a testimony supporting the fabricated story told by Danglars and Caderousse (Stéphane Varupenne). With these testimonies, Edmond is sent to prison in Château d’If.

Château d’If is a historic fortress located on Île d’If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago, approximately 1.5 kilometers offshore from Marseille, France. Constructed in 1524 under the orders of King Francis I, it was initially built as a naval fortress to protect the harbor of Marseille and later transformed into a prison, which operated until the end of the 19th century.

Gérard receives a surprise visit from his sister Angèle after she learns about Edmond’s wrongful imprisonment. He claims that he sent Edmond to prison to save Angèle’s life, but she knows in her heart that her brother did it solely to protect his own reputation. When Angèle threatens to come forward and confess the crime, including Gérard’s affair with his mistress Victoria (Julie de Bona), who is pregnant with his illegitimate son, Gérard becomes infuriated. He captures Angèle and asks Danglars to make her disappear.

After four years in solitary confinement, Edmond is awakened by a constant thudding noise coming from the wall. He is surprised when a small section of the brick begins to break as the prisoner in the next cell digs through it. The following day, Edmond manages to remove a few stone blocks from his wall and crawls through the opening into the next cell, where he meets Abbé Faria (Pierfrancesco Favino).

Faria reveals that he has been planning an escape and has spent six years digging 30 meters. However, to navigate around the cell and reach outside the wall would take twice as long. With Edmond’s help, Faria is hopeful they can accomplish it in less than 12 years. During their time together, Faria teaches Edmond everything he knows, including multiple languages, history, philosophy, and mathematics.

Faria soon discloses that he is Giuseppe Faria, the last surviving member of the Knights Templar (L’ordre du Temple), trained by Cardinal Spada, who sheltered on the island of Monte-Cristo during the end of his life. He is the only person who knows the location of the greatest treasure the Earth has ever known. He promises to give half of the treasure to Edmond once they escape from prison. Unfortunately, Faria is fatally injured during one of their digging sessions and dies shortly after.

L’Ordre du Temple (the Order of the Templars / the Knights Templar) was a military and religious order officially recognized by Pope Innocent II in 1129 during the Council of Troyes, which granted it ecclesiastical privileges and papal protection. The Templars became renowned for their military prowess and financial acumen, establishing a vast network of commanderies across Europe and accumulating significant wealth through donations, inheritances, and effective management of their agricultural lands. The decline of the Order began after the loss of Acre in 1291, which diminished their influence in the Holy Land. In 1307, under King Philip IV of France, many Templars were arrested on charges of heresy and other crimes. The order was officially dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1312, and its last members were executed in 1314, marking a tragic end for an institution that had been one of the most powerful of the Middle Ages.

Written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, Le COMTE de MONTE CRISTO is based on Alexandre Dumas’ classic 1844 novel “LE COMTE DE MONTE-CRISTO”. It follows the story of Edmond Dantès, who is wrongfully imprisoned and seeks revenge on those who betrayed him.

The film is stunningly shot from first minute to last, transporting us back to 18th-century France with a narrative that remains thrilling and captivating throughout its 168-minute runtime.

The French novel “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo” has been adapted numerous times, including Henri Fescourt’s 1929 French silent film “Monte Cristo,” Rowland V. Lee’s 1934 American adventure film “The Count of Monte Cristo,” Robert Vernay’s 1943 French-Italian film “Le Comte de Monte Cristo,” Claude Autant-Lara’s 1961 French adventure film “Le Comte de Monte Cristo,” Josée Dayan’s French-Italian miniseries “Le Comte de Monte Cristo,” Kevin Reynolds’s 2002 American historical adventure film “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and Bille August’s 2024 English-language miniseries “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The enduring popularity of these adaptations proves that the narrative, with its themes of revenge, justice, redemption, and its deeply satisfying conclusion, truly stands the test of time.

Pierre Niney delivers an outstanding performance, embodying the complex character of Edmond Dantès, alongside an amazing supporting cast whose performances add depth to the narrative through their richly developed motivations and backstories.

While it’s understandable that condensing the 800-page French novel into a 168-minute film presented a challenge, and the filmmakers managed to include the essential elements, I would have preferred a longer version that properly introduced Haydée’s backstory and explored how Edmond found his way back home after his prison escape, as well as how he established himself as the Count of Monte Cristo.

The 2024 film adaptation of “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo” is undoubtedly the most stylish version to date and arguably the most faithful to the original French source material.

Le COMTE de MONTE CRISTO premiered at Festival de Cannes on 22 May 2024 where it received nearly 12-minute ovation. The film was theatrically released in France on 28 June, by Pathé.