A Mighty Heart

Based on the infamous Daniel Pearl case, A Mighty Heart casts Angelina Jolie as Pearl’s devoted wife Mariane – with the bulk of the film following her efforts to track him down after he goes missing in Pakistan. There’s certainly no mistaking A Mighty Heart for anything other than a Michael Winterbottom effort, as the movie possesses precisely the sort of jittery, documentary-esque vibe that one has come to expect from the filmmaker. But unlike, say, In This World, A Mighty Heart manages to hold the interest of even the most politically apathetic viewer thanks to the emotionally devastating and flat-out compelling nature of Mariane’s story (ie though we know how the movie has to end, there’s still a palpable undercurrent of suspense running through the proceedings). One ultimately can’t help but sympathize with the woman; Jolie’s stunning, absolutely convincing performance certainly cements this feeling, and it’s very likely that this marks the apex of her career. And although the film’s midsection does become just a little too bogged down in the technical details of Daniel’s search (eg the various agencies, both American and foreign, must contend with instances of bureaucratic red tape), A Mighty Heart is, in the end, an undeniably affecting look at an exceedingly familiar story.

*** out of ****