A Mighty Heart Reviews and Ratings


  • F0XyF0x
    December 17, 2009
    F0XyF0x
    Very boring +yawn+ ... pity they did not pick Jennifer Aniston for the role.
  • GreenGoblin92
    December 7, 2009
    GreenGoblin92
    A Mighty Bore should've been its name. This was a snooze-fest. Just talking and talking, no tension or suspense. I hated how it was filmed like a documentary/student film. I mean, did they use a camcorder or something? If they wanted to film it in that way, then they could've eas...( read more)ily made it a documentary.

    Anyway, how was a great actress like Jolie even cast in this film? This type of a film is something that she would've done at the beginning of her career, not now. She was great in Changeling (a quite similar film to this), but in this film she looked bored. It's like they forced to act in this, and I don't blame her. Because this really isn't her type of film. I just didn't take her acting serious in this.

    She had the same emotion, the same face, right until the ending, where she abruptly changes -- She cries, finally -- but quite melodramatically. Why was she so melodramatic at the end when she never even cried after hearing her husband got kidnapped? That was unrealistic. I'm sure the real Marianne did cry when she heard about her husband being held captive, but the Marianne in this film just had a normal face. Instead of feeling sad for him, she swore and got angry with other people, she didn't care -- Wow. Dunno who to blame, the director, Angelina Jolie or the writer...But it has to be a little bit of all. Anyways, the good actor was the guy that played Randell.

    What was up with the F words? I felt like punching that guy who repeatedly said it for no reason. The situation didn't even call for the F words. They were so random and out of place. What was worse is, even Marianne said them -- again, randomly, out of nowhere.
  • sephira081277
    November 19, 2009
    sephira081277
    One of Angelina Jolie's stunning feats. About the true story of American-Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped by terrorists in Pakistan and cut into 10 pieces plus beheaded in response to iprotest the inhumane treatment of terrorists imprisoned at Guantamano Bay.Sad, ...( read more)tragic but inspiring tale.
  • Phonex
    November 4, 2009
    Phonex
    For all of its good intentions, A Mighty Heart is Michael Winterbottom's weakest film for some time. It was no real surprise that Angelina Jolie handpicked the prolific Englishman for the job as two of his recent films - In This World and The Road to Guantanamo - showed that he i...( read more)s one of the few working directors to tackle the complex issue of modern terrorism head-on. But here however he is in something of a directorial strait jacket, encumbered by the source material and appeasing the world's most famous actress.
  • jimbotender
    October 22, 2009
    jimbotender
    Michael,please don't react with your heart next time,I know you have studio ambitions to project yourself more to this awful Academy,nevertheless...reach out for significant events,CNN tabloids are off fashion...
    Even so,Jolie's and Khan's skills overshadow the elliptic montage o...( read more)f a picture that could have offered more.
  • Nawya
    October 15, 2009
    Nawya
    Dobar film po istinitoj prici. Dinamican, zapetljan. Uvijek dobra Angelina.
  • chicken2402
    October 10, 2009
    chicken2402
    Touching, but... I can't see what all the fuss is about.
  • ermitamangkona
    October 5, 2009
    ermitamangkona
    undeniably, justifiably, and realistically a solid good movie
  • EbertsLittleApprentice
    September 28, 2009
    EbertsLittleApprentice
    "Angelina Jolie" Gives her most commanding performance ever.

    "A Mighty Heart" is a Tradgic retelling of the Death of Reporter "Daniel Pearl", Based on the book by His wife "Mariane Pearl".

    Jolie puts on the performance of a life time in this shocking picture, by "MIchael W...( read more)interbottom,(Road to Guantonnamo Bay).

    Jolie avoids all the critical negative of the past, by recreating her role, and turning it into whole another dimension of acting.

    Jolie is faced with alot of scenes, full of touching, heart breaking drama, and emotions that she replicates, and turns into another state of conciousness, and higher emotions.

    This film was a Pheonomanel. I watched it and I didn't take my eyes off the screen once. This is a shocking , sometimes Tear-Jerking feeling drama, that is amazing, and thought stirring.

    I give it Four out Four Stars".I Might have to say this is a perfect film!
    Highly and Strongly Reccomended. Watch it as soon as you again, It's Good!
  • EddieGunner
    September 2, 2009
    EddieGunner
    very nice movie... story about journalist in pakistan during Us war with talibans or should i say during Us agression on afganistan all in all it-s nice story well done actin by angelina
  • JazzDiab
    August 23, 2009
    JazzDiab
    a touching story... a GREAT PERFORMANCE~
  • emilebond007
    August 12, 2009
    emilebond007
    First, I have to say that I had no interest in this film, but someone bought me the DVD and, at last, I decided to give it a go. Even though this story is loyally based on true events, I constantly had the impression A Mighty Heart brought nothing new to the screen.

    Most of t...( read more)he film is an awful mess, with a clumsy direction and a very normal screenplay.
    Angelina Jolie handled well her French accent, but her performance was not that exceptional.

    The emotional aspect of the movie is not enough exploited and when it is, I just wanted to shut off the TV.

    Really, I didn't like this movie and I knew I wouldn't. I know it's an important movie and we all should watch it. I'm glad I finally did, but it still didn't impress me a bit.
  • ghostgirl969
    August 11, 2009
    ghostgirl969
    J'ai beaucoup aimé toutefois j'ai été légèrement déçue de la prestation de Mlle.Jolie
  • malharhussain
    July 28, 2009
    malharhussain
    nice moovi

    Angie's acting THE BEST
  • MrOrange8590
    July 28, 2009
    MrOrange8590
    ohmygod... SHE TRIES TO ACT!!
  • LYNNWOODS04
    July 26, 2009
    LYNNWOODS04
    What a touching story and Angelina does a great job portraying Mariane Pearl.
  • perromarylou
    July 9, 2009
    perromarylou
    Ok, c'est parti d'une histoire qui se devait d'être raconté, mais ce n'est que des longueurs, des recherches et je préfère vraiment Angelina Jolie dans les films d'action!
  • roblyn4667
    June 30, 2009
    roblyn4667
    I ended up crying in the middle of this movie, and then again at the end.
  • oscartorrado
    June 24, 2009
    oscartorrado
    A not so good movie but watchable film, A Mighty Heart is not the film I was expecting to see, its more like a denunciation of a crime and some politics, the film may seem so slow paced but Angelina Jolie heartwarming performance make it acceptable.
  • aikyu17
    June 21, 2009
    aikyu17
    such a sad story.. bud really awesome muvi!
  • Macgyver911
    June 14, 2009
    Macgyver911
    well acted recreation of a very small slice of the war on terror. Much respect for Marianne not giving in to the bastards
  • inkedbuggy
    May 25, 2009
    inkedbuggy
    Simply just not my cup of tea...would have never watched it if Jolie wasn't cast
  • Wackysmoof2001
    May 24, 2009
    Wackysmoof2001
    Heart breaking - outstanding performance by angelina joie!
  • conchell
    May 8, 2009
    conchell
    This was a good movie there were some difficulties... like the movie was appeared a bit disjointed and was difficult to follow due to it complexity. There were also parts of the film where they were speaking in Pakistani - Farsi? and there were no subtitles. It does however relat...( read more)e a true story, the acting is good, and it is important to current events.
  • SC007
    April 11, 2009
    SC007
    Angelina Jolie gives an amazing performance in this film. The director also did a good job. The way that the film is shot and edited, makes the viewer feel like they are there, when this was happening.
  • RThornhill
    April 11, 2009
    RThornhill
    features a terrific performance by Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl....
  • deborahc4900
    March 31, 2009
    deborahc4900
    I LOVED THIS MOVIE. EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE
  • sportboy
    March 29, 2009
    sportboy
    want to see sometime in my life.
  • jjb3332003
    March 28, 2009
    jjb3332003
    About like I expected - rather slow and unexciting. I didn't care for the jumpy directing style. But it was insightful from the foreign culture aspect.
  • MovieGeek13
    March 19, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    Michael Winterbottom is one of today's most underrated filmmakers, and this film is a work of extraordinary power. Angelina Jolie gives her best performance to date.
  • rebeccagzr
    March 15, 2009
    rebeccagzr
    A true story that I would watch again.good acting.
  • carolynmj19774
    March 9, 2009
    carolynmj19774
    This movie was SOOOO good...and I didn't realize that I remembered this story from when I was younger...SOOO sad...but so powerful and so good...and such a good message about how we will not give in to terror...and also how Mairane Pearl made this movie for her husband. Angelina ...( read more)Jolie did an awesome job...When she was screaming and crying - My heart broke a little.
  • ima365ryder
    March 9, 2009
    ima365ryder
    Outstanding movie to watch
  • wihyena
    March 2, 2009
    wihyena
    Well done. Very intense.
  • bluerealm101
    February 24, 2009
    bluerealm101
    Touching story based on true life events of the widow of Daniel Pearl.Very strong acting by Angelina Jolie.
  • her69eyes
    January 18, 2009
    her69eyes
    "A Mighty Heart" tells the story of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped in Pakistan and beheaded on camera in early 2002. His wife, Mariane Pearl, wrote a book following the death, "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband, Danny Pearl",...( read more) which is the source material for the film. Because we're following Mariane's struggle, Daniel's final days remain a mystery. It's a great decision of director Michael Winterbottom, too, as i'm not sure showing those moments would make the audience feel any more secure. We know how the film is going to end, and it makes us sick throughout the entirety of it. The writer, director, and actors all treat the story with a great deal of respect, however it's still material that's hard to watch. However, I think that the film, besides being commemorative of a horrible tragedy, does it's best to remain hopeful in showcasing the heroic efforts of a loving wife searching for her husband.

    The film follows Mariane Pearl (Angelina Jolie), who waits patiently for the rescue of her husband. For being in such a grim situation, she remains remarkably composed. It's not until the key moment of the film, which was criticized for being "Oscar bait", that Pearl finally breaks. In Mariane's book, she paints this moment vividly: "I can feel that I'm screaming, but the sound that rips up out of me is alien, as if everything is coming out of me". It's not until you read that quote that you appreciate what Jolie did. Although the film is rather uninvolving, that payoff is as emotionally draining as you can get. It's raw, gritty, and wrenching - the culmination of over an hour's worth of grief. It's said often: people forget Jolie's talents as an actress because of her tabloid fame. While she's not always involved with the best material, her screen presence is never anything short of intense.

    Daniel is played by Dan Futterman, who was the screenwriter for the brilliant "Capote". His part here is rather minimal, but effective. We see Daniel now and then in photographs and flashbacks, but thankfully Winterbottom never tries to recreate Pearl's fate on screen. The marriage between Daniel and Marianne does seem rather idealized on the surface, but when you consider the amount of passion Marianne displayed in the investigation and her subsequent book, it's not hard to imagine that they did get along that well. I wasn't too fond of the flashbacks in the film, however, as these scenes didn't make me feel the connection between the couple any better than Jolie's performance did. Jolie's showcase of determination and hope should've been more than enough to illustrate the love between Daniel and Marianne.

    We're introduced to a lot of people on the case throughout the film, and the web of suspects does grow rather large. Winterbottom apparently knows this darn well, so Marianne frequently attends to a whiteboard in order to help us sort out everything. It's a simple device, but it makes a world of difference in trying to follow along with the story. Of the supporting cast, perhaps the character the audience will connect to most is "Captain" (Irrfan Khan, from "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Namesake"), Pakistan's head of counter-terrorism. I suspect the dramatic material might have been more involving if told from his perspective, however it may have underplayed Mariane's remarkable story.

    The problem with "A Mighty Heart" is the procedural narrative that forgets to examine the inner workings of these characters. It's like a lot of these cop drama/thrillers - there's a suspect, they go after him, there's another, and they go after him. We already know how the story is going to end, so there's already a handicap that's going to suspend the tension for audience members, but the major problem is that we're kept emotionally distant in the process of getting there. The film comes off as rather cold and almost tedious, but thankfully Jolie (as well as Khan and Futterman) lend a hand in making things more interesting. Jolie, in particular, plays a Mariane that's incredibly inspirational. As an investigative drama, this really didn't work, but as the tale of a devoted wife, it achieves some mild success.
  • paulanthonynelson
    January 16, 2009
    paulanthonynelson
    Engrossing, briskly edited, but (strangely) emotionally distant docudrama about husband and wife journalists Mariane (Jolie) and Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman), and what happens once Daniel is abducted by Pakistani jihadists. Jolie is convincing and efficient, but her performance n...( read more)ever really burrows into your head and heart as it seems it should. Fantastic location shooting in Karachi adds to the realism and tension of the piece, and all supporting performances are uniformly terrific. Worth catching, but for a film with that title, you'd expect to come away with more of an emotional impact.
  • xmkatx
    January 15, 2009
    xmkatx
    This is my second least favorite from Michael Winterbottom but it's not a bad movie. I was fine with Jolie until a crucial scene where all of a sudden I just felt empty and unemotional during a very emotional scene (when she finds out Daniel was dead). I also don't know about the...( read more) decision to recreate scenes from the video (they didn't show the beheading). I love the Nouvelle Vague song at the end.
  • tickleicious74
    January 13, 2009
    tickleicious74
    familiar with storyline and previews caught my attention, however it was not that good, it was just okay.
  • gusonet
    January 8, 2009
    gusonet
    Una increíble historia que me sorprendió, una excelente actuación de Angelina Jolie, basada en una historia real de el secuestro y decapitación del periodista de Wall Street Journal Daniel Pearl en la época de la guerra de Afganistan.
  • Jay52187
    January 6, 2009
    Jay52187
    Very glad that I saw this movie... Fantastic performance by Angelina and this movie was very touching and powerful definitely a good one to see...
  • mattdonovan2004
    January 4, 2009
    mattdonovan2004
    A solid, uncomfortable account of a wife's ordeal, with a fine performance by Angelina Jolie; however, it lacks an emotional focus, making it hard to invest in
  • crip0807
    January 3, 2009
    crip0807
    I annot say I liked this movie...strange reation to it. Perhaps the subject matter, not sure.
  • Liesebieke
    January 3, 2009
    Liesebieke
    A typical story about one of hundreds of western journalists being murdered by extreme Muslims. We've seen it and heard it all before but it's good that one of these stories are being told so journalists in future might avoid the trap which is set by extreme religious people.
    R....( read more)I.P. Daniel Pearl.
  • kater16123
    January 2, 2009
    kater16123
    God bless his family.
  • boriserjavec
    January 1, 2009
    boriserjavec
    real story, good one

Summary

A Mighty Heart Summary