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In 2002, Wall Street journalist Daniel Pearl was doing his job. He went on an interview and never came back. The world knows of his demise because the terrorists who abducted him, chose to film it and send the tape to the media. Such is the attitude of terrorists of the 21st century. By the way, the tape is not shown in this film. So, what happened behind the scenes as Daniel's wife, Marianne, waits and waits and waits for him to return? This is the core of A Mighty Heart.

The film opens with Daniel (Dan Futterman) and Marianne (Angelina Jolie) in Pakistan. They are both journalists and Marianne is five months pregnant with their first child. Their standard of living is high compared to the rest of the country and this is shown every time they leave their guarded apartment. Poverty is rampant. Daniel is on the trail of a known terrorist of the time for an interview and goes to meet this person in a public place. As the story unfolds, we see that Daniel was set up. In the meantime, Marianne is giving a dinner party, but Daniel doesn't show up. By morning, she contacts the authorities and the search begins. Soon the kidnappers contact her, and the search for Daniel begins in earnest. Their apartment is turned into a beehive of activity with journalists, American agents, Pakistani police and friends. Will Patton is an American security man, while actress Archie Panjabi is a close friend and Irrfan Khan is a friendly police officer. Leads turn into dead-ends and you know the rest. Daniel once said he knew Marianne would have a boy and they would name him Adam. She did and the boy is named Adam. Flashbacks show how Daniel, a Jew, and Marianne, a Buddhist, met and were married.

Angelina Jolie gives a remarkable performance as Marianne. This could be an Oscar-nominated performance. She knows the urgency of finding Daniel, but is hampered by language, red tape and the attitude of locals toward foreigners. She is Cuban. Jolie's hands give a performance in themselves as when she touches her swelling abdomen or touches something of Daniel's in the room. There is a longing there. You may not recognize her with a new hair style. Dan Futterman (Academy Award nominated for scriptwriting Capote) resembles Daniel Pearl and also does a good acting job, though in a supporting role. Actress Archie Panjabi has interesting lines as she tries to do her job, but meets roadblocks because she is a woman. Indian actor Irrfan Khan shows compassion in going from policeman to friend. Brad Pitt is a producer of A Mighty Heart?

Production values are fine and the feel of the film is documentary-style. You wonder how any governmental issues can be settled in a land with multiple languages and customs. The United States is looked upon as either a giver of wealth or an intruder. The city, itself, teaming with hoards of people, crowded marketplaces, traffic jams and poverty everywhere, it an actor, too. It can seem friendly before a tragedy and suspicious afterward. When you see the terrorists you realize that it doesn't matter to them what country they are in, evil is evil anywhere.

Copyright 2007 Marie Asner