Angelina Jolie is not just a beautiful woman and the daughter of actor Jon Voight, she is also an incredibly versatile actress. This Oscar-winning beauty is one of those few who is just as comfortable starring in big blockbusters as in emotional dramas. She takes every part very seriously.
Jolie is close friends with Mariane Pearl, the journalist wife of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (played by Dan Futterman). She is the author of "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl" (on which the film is based) and wanted the actress to portray her. Because Angelina Jolie is a true method-actress - she added dark ringlets, a pregnancy bump and speaks with Pearl's Cuban-French accent. The outcome is simply outstanding! It's about as genuine as any acting performance can get. It's obvious that Jolie didn't want to settle for anything less. She has the utmost respect for Mariane Pearl and the tragedy she went through. And she wanted to translate this amount of respect into her acting.
The amazing thing about this semi-documentary film is that it manages to keep such a hopeful spirit even though we are already aware of what lies ahead. Reporter Danny Pearl is going to die by the hands of Pakistani extremists yet somehow we still keep the faith. On top of that: a good deal of the movie is shot with a hand-held camera and this technique builds the tension especially during the torture/interrogation scenes. It almost feels as though we are present during the entire ordeal. When the terrible news finally comes out that Mariane's husband has been slaughtered mercilessly, the screaming of Angelina Jolie is so realistic and painful that it brought instant tears to my eyes.
In short: A beautiful homage to a horrifying true story with a terrific Angelina Jolie.
Jolie is close friends with Mariane Pearl, the journalist wife of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (played by Dan Futterman). She is the author of "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl" (on which the film is based) and wanted the actress to portray her. Because Angelina Jolie is a true method-actress - she added dark ringlets, a pregnancy bump and speaks with Pearl's Cuban-French accent. The outcome is simply outstanding! It's about as genuine as any acting performance can get. It's obvious that Jolie didn't want to settle for anything less. She has the utmost respect for Mariane Pearl and the tragedy she went through. And she wanted to translate this amount of respect into her acting.
The amazing thing about this semi-documentary film is that it manages to keep such a hopeful spirit even though we are already aware of what lies ahead. Reporter Danny Pearl is going to die by the hands of Pakistani extremists yet somehow we still keep the faith. On top of that: a good deal of the movie is shot with a hand-held camera and this technique builds the tension especially during the torture/interrogation scenes. It almost feels as though we are present during the entire ordeal. When the terrible news finally comes out that Mariane's husband has been slaughtered mercilessly, the screaming of Angelina Jolie is so realistic and painful that it brought instant tears to my eyes.
In short: A beautiful homage to a horrifying true story with a terrific Angelina Jolie.