THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO ("Le comte de Monte-Cristo", 2024)

The word "hater" doesn't even come close to describing what Edmond Dantès has going on. This week, we're learning how to nurture a grudge from the best of 'em, with a tale of revenge, resentment, and ridiculously elaborate payback schemes, taken from the pages of one of France's most celebrated writers. Join us as we discuss Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte's moody blockbuster adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' iconic novel...

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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO ("Le comte de Monte-Cristo", 2024)
Dir. by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte
Available to rent on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and AppleTV

How long would you hold onto a grudge? Bet it's not longer than Edmond, but to be fair, he's got a pretty good reason to be vengeful. Having just been promoted to the role of ship captain after defying orders and rescuing a drowning woman, he is finally of suitable social standing to marry his one and only love, the beautiful Mercédès. But when a letter salvaged from the rescued woman threatens to reveal compromising information about a powerful family, a trio of resentful conspirators form a plan to take the inconvenient interloper out of the picture. Wrongfully imprisoned on the very day of his wedding, Edmond is left to rot in a dismal oubliette while his name is ruined, his bride-to-be is whisked away, and his future slowly decays before him. But when a fateful encounter with a fellow prisoner enables Edmond to hatch an escape plan (after 14 long years) and come into an unexpected fortune on the outside, the stage is set for revenge. And Edmond - now enveloped in a seemingly endless array of resources - is going to make it count.

An epic tale of vengeance adapted with a captivating sense of brooding urgency, this latest cinematic take on Dumas' endlessly re-imagined classic brings fantastic dramatic intensity to its almost 200-year-old source material. Let's talk about it!

*As a reminder, this is solely a movie discussion group - we encourage you to watch the film independently prior to coming to the meetings.