And a lot of the success in this film is the result of some good casting and some actors who fill their roles so convincingly, it's almost a shame that we, as audience members, must say goodbye to them when the credits role. James Caviezel makes a convincing case as the wrongly imprisoned "Edmund Dantes" and Guy Pearce makes as equally a powerful performance as his accuser. These men together have the kind of chemistry which creates a real sense of conflict between the two. The relationship between them in the book makes for good reading, and translated to the screen, with these two actors, it really comes alive. And that could be said for all of the performances in this film.

Playing a more minor role, James Frain also makes a convincing case as one of the men who helps to imprison Edmund Dantes. As an actor [mostly] cast in supporting roles, Frain once again proves that he can shine even if he's not in the center of the spotlight. His appearance in the film creates a good balance with Guy and James in the other roles.

Though not everything about the film is on the strong, depressing side. An element of the film which was particularly welcome was the wry humor that crept into many of the scenes. Now, it wasn't the type of comedy you'd find on a SNL skit, but it made the film's serious scenes, of which there were many, more intense. Without that humor, the film might have been too serious, considering about a third of it takes place in one of the most desolate prisons ever depicted on screen. And the humor takes on more than one form. Not only is it derived sometimes from the dialogue spoken between the characters, but the laughs also come from the physical actions of the characters. Certain looks and movements made by the actors make for humor at the best moments. And again, this makes the more serious parts of the film stand out.

A lot of the credit for the success of this drama/comedy component probably should go to Richard Harris . His uncanny ability to include a serious emotion and a bit of humor into the same sentence is quite a talent. As one of the most venerated actors on the screen, Harris makes an impressive contribution to this cast. And his role is surprisingly physical as well. He's the fellow prisoner who, along with Edmund Dantes, tries to dig a tunnel out of the prison. The film's got Harris jumping in and out of dirt tunnels, picking up prison stones, and digging through the dirt. It's quite a feat that the seventy-one year old Harris is able to do all this. And this movement takes place during much of the conversation between Harris and Caviezel while they are in the prison, so that the dialogue that takes place between them never gets boring, as in some period films. And that can be a problem sometimes: long scenes and extensive dialogue, but in this film, the dialogue is balanced quite expertly with the action so that there is never a lack of either one.

A special mention has to go out to Luis Guzman as well, who plays a man indebted to Edmund Dantes, who spares his life during a fighting match. Luis could almost be considered the comedy relief in this film, as much as that type of character can be included in a period drama. Like Richard Harris, Luis has a few scenes where his character says something funny, but when he needs to be serious, he's just as effective as a dramatic actor. And like James Frain, Luis has gotten roles in all of his films in the supporting actor category. And although he might not be the only actor in the spotlight, he certainly provides a well-rounded element to this cast. Lastly, in the actor category, Dagmara Dominczyk plays her role, as one of the only women characters to make an appearance, with intelligence. She allows her character to display some wisdom, despite how women were treated a few hundred years ago in Europe. She isn't the picture of a modern 1990's feminist, but she gets her kicks in and makes sure that, as one of the only females, her role is still important to the film.

On the whole, this film contains all the elements of a good movie: the acting, the script, the cinematography, but the whole package creates something much more interesting and fun. And that last part, the fun of the movie, is really what makes this more than just a run of the mill swashbuckling film. The ability for these characters to laugh at their circumstances is perhaps what sets it apart from other films prone to taking themselves too seriously. The film as a whole is a truly entertaining experience in the theater and its strong cast is one of its high points.

Review by Kelsey Wyatt.

movie fact - a funny goof: when Count Mondego is talking with Monsieur de Villefort in his office with the window open, you can just make out cars parked on the other side of the harbor.

The story revolves around Edmond Dantes (Caviezel), a dashing young sailor whose dreams of settling down with the lovely Mercedes (Dominczyk) are shattered when he is betrayed by his best friend, Fernand (Pearce), and sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the infamous island prison Chateau d'If.

Thirteen years later, with some help from fellow inmate Faria (Harris), Edmond escapes from this ghastly hellhole, finds some hidden treasure, and reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo. It's the perfect way to avenge himself on Fernand - who, in the meantime, has married Mercedes - and all those who collaborated in his unjust persecution. Page-turners like this one never age, and while the tale has its dull stretches - particularly Edmond's spell behind bars - you always want to find out what happens next.

Throw in some glamorous sun-drenched locations and lashings of opulent production design, and you can count on being entertained. Caviezel, who has so far failed to capitalise on his star-making performance in "The Thin Red Line", makes a rather impassive lead, while Harris is hardly stretched as yet another bearded father figure.

So it's left to the bad guys to steal the show - Michael Wincott's sadistic gaoler, James Frain's scheming magistrate, and, best of all, Pearce's gloriously debauched fop.

End Credits

Director: Kevin Reynolds
Writer: Jay Wolpert
Stars: James Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Dagmara Dominczyk, Richard Harris, Luiz Guzmán, James Frain
Genre: Action, Adventure
Length: 131 minutes
Cinema: 19 April 2002 Country: USA

Robin:
When Edmond returns from Elbe, his life is looking up. His stop on the island to help his sick captain results in the ship's owner offering Dantes command of the vessel. His best friend, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce), has harbored jealousy over the loving relationship between Edmond and his fiancée, the beautiful Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk), and uses the letter from Napoleon to get his friend arrested and imprisoned. Conspiring with the local magistrate, Villefort (James Frain), Mondego convinces Mercedes that Dantes was executed for treason. He gets the girl and Edmond is on his way to a life imprisoned in Chateau D'If where he is under the control of sadistic warden Dorleac (Michael Wincott). One day, after years without human contact, Edmonds cell is broken into by another inmate, Abbe Faria (Richard Harris), an old soldier-turned-priest who has been digging an escape tunnel for years. The cleric sees the humorous irony of his breaking into another cell while escaping his own and takes Edmond on as a friend and student, teaching him to read, write and sword fight. Together, they plan another escape until tragedy strikes and Faria is killed - but not before he tells his friend about stolen gold he has hidden away on the Isle of Monte Cristo. Dantes fulfills the escape plans, finds the gold and begins, in earnest, to formulate his plans of revenge against Mondego and the rest as the extraordinarily wealthy Count of Monte Cristo.

For such a grand historical drama "The Count of Monte Cristo" has a stinginess about it that keeps the story and the action surrounding it from opening up. Part of this is due to the fact that, after the principle players, there are few supporting characters that are allowed to flesh out the background. It is up to the stars, alone, to draw us in to Dumas's tale of revenge but I think that the task proves too daunting.

Jim Caviezal has the handsome looks, striking blue eyes and physical presence to give a fair accounting for himself as the vengeful Edmond Dantes. Guy Pearce, as Edmond's former friend and current nemesis Fernand Mondego, is no more than a two-dimensional bad guy. Mondego is supposed to have been Edmond's friend since childhood, but the actor is so sullen and unlikable as the character the friendship simply doesn't make sense. (This is one of the liberties that scripter Jay Wolpert takes with the Dumas original. In the author's novel Edmond and Fernand are barely acquainted. The screenplay should have kept it that way.)

Richard Harris, as Edmond's friend and mentor, Abbe Faria, fares best of all of cast. The veteran thesp puts a dignified, sometimes humorous spin on his perf as the pragmatic cleric who takes on the task of educating the illiterate Dantes. The old man provides Edmond with hope to escape his prison and, with a secret, hidden treasure trove, the means to do good, but the younger man has only revenge on his mind. Dagmara Dominczyk as Mercedes, the object of affection for Edmond and attention for Fernand, is pretty enough to make us believe that hers could be the face that launched a thousand ships, but, when extensive dialog is required, her reading turns wooden. James Frain, as the villainous Villefort, the official responsible for Edmond's unfair incarceration, draws a complex characterization of a man whose own gains come first - even if it means jailing an innocent.

Director Kevin Reynolds does a lopsided job helming these proceeds. Lots of time is spent on narrative and explanation of what's happening and not nearly enough is spent on the several fight scenes that pepper the film. (This is a swashbuckling story, after all.) For instance, when the newly escaped Dantes is caught by local pirates, he is told that he must fight for his life against one of theirs, a little guy named Jacopo (Luis Guzman). I expected a bout between the two that would explain the bond that builds between them. Instead, it is slam, bam, thank you, ma'am and the knife fight is over before it really begins. The same goes for the climactic duel between Edmond and...oops, I've said enough. I don't want to give anything away here if you don't know the classic tale.

The screenplay, adapted from the Dumas novel by Wolpert, is a mix of period speech and contemporary lingo that doesn't always work. (At one point, Jacopo offers to kill his new friend's enemies, "bam, bam, bam, bam. Like that." I felt like I was watching a discussion between Dr. Evil and his son Scott in "Austin Powers.") This kind of modern/hip talk is fun in a film like "A Knight's Tale" but loses its cool quotient when slapped on a Dumas classic. (Imagine if Cervantes had Sancho Panza tell Don Quixote to "take a chill pill.")

Techs are decent and the Malta and Ireland exteriors are visually stunning. Costume designer Tom Rand does a good job creating a convincing look for all of the players, with the Count of Monte Cristo taking on an elegant oriental-looking wardrobe. Andrew Dunn's lensing helps keep things looking good.

While watching Reynolds's "The Count the Monte Cristo" I could not get the 1974 version, starring Richard Chamberlain in the title role, out of my head, making me want to see that interesting telling of the tale again. Better still, it whets my appetite to try and find the acclaimed 1934 making starring Robert Donat. The modern remake of Dumas's story is long on narrative and (too) short on action. I give it a B-.

Laura:
When sailor Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel, "Angel Eyes") overrules first mate Danglars (Albie Woodington) to take his ailing captain to an island shore, it sets in motion a shatteringly life-changing course of events. Unwittingly, he and his childhood friend Fernand (Guy Pearce, "Memento") land on Elba, where they're attacked by British dragoons holding Napoleon (Alex Norton, "Local Hero") in exile. They survive (although their captain is less fortunate) and return to Marseilles with the guileless Edmond carrying a secret letter for Napoleon.

Denounced by Danglars, Edmond is amazed to find himself promoted to captain by the ship's owner, but his celebration is short-lived. Fernand, jealous of Edmond's good fortune and lusting after his fiance Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk), informs local magistrate Villefort (James Frain, "Where the Heart Is") of that treacherous letter. Convinced of Edmond's innocence, Villefort is on the verge of releasing him when he asks Edmond who the recipient is. Hearing the name of his own father, Villefort is determined to protect himself and has Edmond sent to the notorious island prison of Chateau D'If. There Edmond spends thirteen years dreaming of revenge which a fortuitous friendship with another prisoner will allow him to enact as "The Count of Monte Cristo."

Kevin Reynolds' ("Waterworld") umpteenth film version of the Alexandre Dumas tale (adapted by Jay Wolpert) features stunning Maltese locations and attractive leads, but the unfortunate decision to make Fernand a childhood friend of Edmond's without making that friendship believable detracts from, rather than adds tension to, the tale. This swashbuckler, in which buckles are swashed too perfunctorily, is a middling entertainment.

While Caviezel is a pleasant enough lead, coming into his own after his transformation into the titular count, Guy Pearce's Fernand is so immediately recognizable as the worst type of snivelling villain that the characters' lifelong friendship seems absurd. The use of a chess piece as a token between the two kept by the 'king of the moment,' may as well have a flashing arrow titled 'symbolic plot device' pointing towards it.

Thank heavens for Richard Harris whose imprisoned Abbe Faria enables Edmond's transformation. His performance as a down to earth priest with senses of determination, right and humor gives the film some much needed weight. Alas, after a most amusing entrance, Harris' exit arrives all too soon, but offers Edmond a means to escape. Edmond washes ashore and immediately falls in with a band of entertaining pirates, where he acquires right-hand man Jacopo (the usually great Luis Guzman, unwisely used here for comic effect, the film's worst offense). Edmond and Jacopo locate the treasure from a map the Abbe had given him, only if he were to use the money for good. Edmond believes revenge is a just cause.

"The Count of Monte Cristo" certainly looks good, with aquamarine seas reflecting off the cliffs of Malta's Comino island and opulent interiors built in Ireland. Lavish costumes by Tom Rand ("The Duelists") are a given for this type of period piece. Most unfortunately, the treasure featured in a number of shots includes cheesy plastic baubles masquerading as jewels amidst the more realistic looking gold coins. The Count makes his arrival in society by staging an elaborate party complete with fireworks and entrance by hot air balloon like an 19th century Malcolm Forbes. The makeup used to make the older Fernand look debauched is notable.

C+

Still, costume epics are notoriously difficult to sell to the Dumb and Dumber crowd, especially if they lack the presence of hot young stars on whom to buckle all that swash. But never mind. This new Count of Monte Cristo is refreshingly well-done, with plenty of action and romance to thrill younger audiences, and a nice mix of old and new dramatic—as well as historic—elements to interest the older folk who’ve seen it all before.

For instance, this re-imagined script gives the hero, Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel), and the villain, Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce), the history of a deep childhood friendship. (In the original tale, they barely knew each other.) It is Fernand’s false accusations which send Edmund to a hellish prison to rot and presumably die (although, as many of us know, he eventually escapes, discovers a great hidden treasure and becomes the fabulously wealthy and mysterious Count who’s bent on revenge), so that Fernand can steal away Edmund’s sweetheart, Mercedes (an appropriately beautiful and passionate Dagmara Dominczyk).

In this version, then, Fernand’s grudge is primarily motivated by his lifelong envy of Edmund’s easy charm and apparent luck, rather than whatever love he has for Mercedes. When Edmund asks his rich and titled friend why he has so cruelly turned against him, Fernand/Pearce spits out the chilling line: 'Because you’re the son of a clerk…and I’m not supposed to want to be you.'

Caviezel is darkly handsome and has the right physical presence for his role here, but he’s slightly more believable in the beginning, playing a simple sailor, than later on, as the lordly Count. His most emotive moments are in prison, sinking into despair during the years of solitary confinement, and then suddenly finding hope upon encountering a grizzled fellow prisoner, Abbe Faria. Richard Harris gets this juicy role, and he literally chews up the scenery (well, the props, anyway) as the worldly old priest who must teach the illiterate young Edmund everything he needs to know to become a 19th-century master of the universe.

Pearce is repellently riveting (pardon the oxymoron) in his evilness, and almost his equal are James Frain, as the villainous magistrate who conspires with Fernand, and Michael Wincott, playing the sadistic warden of the infamous prison, Chateau D’if.

The freshest concept in this new Count of Monte Cristo is its bright, bold and beautiful look. Filmed on location in Ireland (standing in for rural France) and on the island of Malta, the natural settings are spectacular—especially the small, cliff-bound island on which Edmund’s prison looms. And when the Count of Monte Cristo stages his entry into Parisienne society, he floats to the grounds of his imposing chateau in a ribbon-bedecked hot-air balloon, with a troupe of acrobats cavorting down the anchor ropes. The imaginative visual lyricism continues to the very end of the film, when Edmund and Fernand meet for their bloody final confrontation in an endless sea of bright green spring wheat. The effect is both lovely and haunting.

—Shirley Sealy

The most recent version, now on DVD and video, stars Jim Caviezel as hero Edmund Dantes and Guy Pearce as the slimy Fernan Mondego. Caviezel captures the full range of Dantes' journey, from trusting young sailor to obsessively determined nobleman. In a dramatic departure, Pearce plays a frightening villain with nary a redeeming quality. Trust me, he's bad.

But while we're on the subject of villains, Dantes' jailer Dorleac (Michael Wincott) and prosecutor Villefort (James Frain) dial up the nastiness quotient. Some films struggle to come up with one good bad guy. This picture has three of them, and they're something to behold.

Director Kevin Reynolds and screenwriter Jay Wolpert took liberties with the original story, to the apparent dismay of Dumas purists. But as Reynolds explains in his DVD commentary, it was all about creating a fast-paced and entertaining story, and he succeeds. The first half of the picture -- the betrayal, the imprisonment, the tutelage under fellow prisoner Abbe (Richard Harris) and the escape -- flies by and is as good an opening act as you'll find in film.

It's when Dantes sets himself up as the Count of Monte Cristo and begins his mission of revenge that the mood changes. The years of torturous imprisonment and festering hate take their toll, making him a more complicated protagonist. I'm sure that's the intention of the filmmakers, but there's a point where Dantes morphs into a darker and, frankly, less appealing hero.

But the film soon remembers that its mission is to be an old-fashioned adventure and regains its footing. The Ireland and Malta locations look great, the acting and action are superb, and the filmmakers spin one heck of a tale. For an oft-told story, you can't ask too much more. The Count of Monte Cristo. ***.

PG-13 (adventure, violence/swordplay and some sensuality). 131 minutes. This Count swashbuckles with the best of them.

Set up as a traitor, Edmond is ripped from the side of his future bride and taken away to rot in prison. There he learns to read, write, and - most importantly - fight, from an elderly fellow prisoner, Abbe Faria (Richard Harris). As Faria and Edmond work on digging their way out of prison, Faria is fatally injured. On his death bed, Faria discloses the secret location of a massive fortune. Despite his grief at the loss of such a close friend, Edmond makes good on his escape and after securing the fortune, transforms into the Count of Monte Cristo. Using this adopted persona, Edmond seeks out revenge on all who betrayed him.

BONUS FEATURES

An Epic Reborn:

-"The Pen" - Featurette on the life and times of author Alexandre Dumas;
-"Adapting a Classic" - Screenwriter Jay Wolpert talks about the significant changes he made in adapting the classic novel into a screenplay;
-"The Napoleonic World" - Director Kevin Reynolds and members of the cast talk about filming in Malta; and
-"The Clash of Steel" - William Hubbs, the fight choreographer, discusses training actors to use swords and choreographing fight scenes.

Deleted Scenes with Introductions by the Director & Editor:

-"Fernand and Danglars" - Extended sequence where Guy Pearce as Fernand plots with Albie Woodington as Danglars;
-"The Villeforts" - Extended scene showing Valentina Villefort's (played by Helen McCrory) scheming personality;
-"Mercedes and Fernand" - Mercedes (Dagmara Domincyzk) stands up to Fernand (Pearce) when he proposes a more open marriage (a scene I personally wish would have been left in the the film); and
-"Villefort's Arrest" - An alternate take on the scene of Monsieur de Villefort (James Frain) being taken away to prison.

Additional Bonus Features:

-Commentary with director Kevin Reynolds. Reynolds discusses making the classic novel into a feature-length film, the casting process and shooting locations.
-"Layer by Layer Interactive Sound Design Feature" - Watch the scene of Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) escaping from prison with four different sound options: sound effects only, dialogue only, music only, or the composite track.
-"En Garde: Multi-Angle Dailies" - Behind-the-scenes look at the final fight sequence between Edmond (Caviezel) and Fernand (Pearce) with commentary from director Kevin Reynolds.

It's the last interview of the day and Dagmara Dominczykk, ravishing star of The Count Of Monte Cristo, is in a floppy kind of mood. Dressed in black and sitting on the plush carpet of a hotel suite with her arms outstretched over the coffee table, the 26-year-old giggles coquettishly between thoughtful down-to-earth, Brooklyn-accented answers.

How on earth did she get from playing a bisexual rock publicist in Rock Star to a damsel in distress in Monte Cristo? "It's not so difficult," she laughs, "I went to theatre school and during one season I was playing a prostitute then a teacher or a mother or a lesbian or a drug addict and I love that. That's what actors are supposed to do I think, transform themselves completely."

In the swashbuckler, the character of Mercédès Iguanada becomes almost a trophy for the Count/Edmond Dantes (James Caviezel) and Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) to fight over.

"Well, it's 1815 France and I guess women back then were put on a pedestal to either support the men in their lives or be lusted after by the men in their lives. I didn't want to make Mercédès this absurd feminist, fencing her way to freedom because that was not her reality."

Getting used to wearing corsets was another matter entirely. "Comfort is the goal and the primary issue for me in what attire I choose and women back then couldn't even put their underwear on by themselves! I had three people in my trailer dressing me in that corset and three people undressing me. Once I was in, physically I had to take on a dignified pose my movements were restricted.

"My mother said, 'Ah, you look so beautiful' and yet you're so uncomfortable. They were walking pictures and it made me think, God, these women couldn't have a moment of spontaneity, whether symbolically or literally when they could just get naked when they wanted to. No way, you had to call over the lady in waiting otherwise you were stuck and for me that really helped me get into character."

The Dominczykk (pronounced Da-min-chik) family history is every bit at dramatic and vengeance-filled as The Count Of Monte Cristo. Hailing from Poland, her father was in the Solidarity Party and his father, when Dagmara was a month old, was beaten to death by communist police. Formerly a boxer, her dad Marek turned his life around and devoted himself to being a revolutionary. By the early Eighties, he had 600,000 Solidarity members following his lead until he was imprisoned for more than a year by Soviet Russia. He was eventually released and given a one way passport. He and his family moved to New York when Dagmara was seven years old.

"The theme of vengeance, of avenging not only his father's death but liberating his nation was always prevalent. I grew up being taught, 'Fight the commies, we have to go back to our country to free it,' to be proud of where you come from. He's a man of conviction, for good and for bad. My mother's the opposite: empathetic, never had a career of her own because she had to take care of the children when her husband went to prison."

Are you a vengeful person yourself? "No, I'm not. I have my father's strength and integrity when it comes to other things in my life but I don't subscribe to an eye for an eye. I'm more of the what goes around comes around school of thought. To be undefeated in that way."

The role of Mercédès is the latest in a long line of strong female roles Dagmara has played, roles that often become one side of love triangles. She starred on stage as Tracy in The Philadelphia Story, the role made famous by Katharine Hepburn in the 1940 classic, in her senior year at college. Her break came when she understudied for Anna Friel in the pivotal role of Alice in Patrick Marber's play Closer on Broadway in 1998.

"I love playing complex, imperfect women," she says after a pause. "Women who surprise you in some way and are not ideals. Alice is allowed to be a bit more manipulative due to the time she lives in yet she is lost and without guidance in her life. Her sexuality is what she uses. Tracy is in a way emancipated because she is so financially affluent but in her head is completely isolated and seeking a saviour."

Monte Cristo was supposed to be released one month after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington but it was delayed along with other costume flicks like Catherine Deneuve's The Musketeer and Hilary Swank's The Affair Of The Necklace.

Dagmara remembers 9/11 vividly as she could see the World Trade Center from the corner of her street in Brooklyn. "It was like watching a horror movie that was going on outside my movie and on TV and it was… I remember that sense of paranoia. We didn't leave the house all day. For the first time I felt that people in America that they were not invulnerable to what goes on in the world."

Dagmara sees how revenge-themed movies like Monte Cristo have proved to be so popular. "Cristo's been doing really well with audiences because I think that air of, 'We've been wronged' and people have that fantasy of avenging fate."

A shy, studious high school pupil who avidly consumed books as a way of learning English, Alexandre Dumas' The Count Of Monte Cristo among them, Dagmara initially aimed to write books herself or teach.

"I was a very sentimental and romantic young girl and was so depressed by the fact Mercédès ends up in a convent in the book! Edmund avenges most of the things he set out to avenge, her son dies and her husband goes off with another woman and she's this completely tragic character. I thought, how unfair for this woman who persevered, who's been resolute with her feelings, who had sacrificed so much. Usually I'm not a fan of happy endings if they're trite and are foreshadowed but in this case if anyone deserved a happy ending it's this woman."

Growing up in housing project in Brooklyn and in a family where Polish was always spoken and Polish food was always on the table, actors were "pretty people on TV" and performing herself was beyond her dreams. "But I loved speaking English more and more and acting happened naturally."

Dagmara was invited to study at all four of the acting conservatories she applied for, ultimately settling on the one offering the biggest scholarship, Carnegie Mellon University. She was introduced to plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Pinter and Tennessee Williams and performed as Helena in Look Back In Anger, Olivia in Twelfth Night and the lead in Medea.

With the likes of Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Edward Norton as her thespian guiding lights, Dagmara is now aware of avoiding type-casting pit falls and is conscious of presenting a "package" at auditions before they even hear what she says. She tributes Cristo director Kevin Reynolds for taking a risk on her.

"With Kevin you can be completely honest, where's there's no room for a diva and we were all working collaboratively. If I wanted to say something, have another take or improvise I could and we had a very trusting relationship."

You were filming in Ireland, did you sample any of the local Guinness? "Oh God, I think I had a sip but it looked too black for my taste! I used to frequent the pubs with Henry [Cavill], the guy who played my son and I'd be a mother to him off-set too. 'You shouldn't be drinking this much!'

"We used to go out to dinner with Guy Pearce a lot and Jim [Caviezel] invited us out a couple of times. And then in Malta we'd go down to the beach on weekends with James Frain who plays Villefort and I had a blast with them. I felt like one of the boys."

One of the first things she bought with her Monte Cristo pay cheque was a DVD player. "That and an apartment. My fiance is an aspiring filmmaker so for him to watch the makings-of is wonderful."

Her collection consists of Taxi Driver, Amadeus, Moscow On The Hudson, The Breakfast Club, Age Of Innocence, Gladiator, Falling In Love, The Deer Hunter and recently Hedwig And The Angry Inch. "I love bloopers on DVD. Have you seen Meet The Parents? Robert De Niro cracking up!"

One of the first DVDs she bought was She's Having A Baby because it was the first film she ever saw. "I was eleven and I got asked out on a date and I'm sentimental like that."

From a damsel in distress, Dagmara Dominczyk next stars as a hippy theology buff with a dark secret in Robert Harmon's psychological thriller They. "I had to shoot a scene with rats and learn how to scuba-dive because a lot of my stuff takes place underwater."

Another departure then. "I know, it's great! Another genre conquered!"