I knew where “A Mighty Heart” was coming from, I was well aware of what this story entailed and how Daniel Pearl inevitably ended up, but why did Michael Winterbottom’s docudrama feel so manipulative and trite? In the end, this was just more of the same titles like “United 93” and “Babel” that seemed so intent on garnering an Oscar mention, and through a story that I’ve sadly seen a thousand times. Sure, it’s based on a true story, and one that’s utterly heartbreaking, but Orloff composes it so in that it feels so rehashed from films like “Ransom” which enlists the same clichés and the same exact character archetypes. There’s the tough talking negotiator, the submissive support base, and Angelina Jolie who really does nothing more than sit and emote on cue when necessary.

Without the political relevance, it really just seems like another thriller. It fails to bandy any sort of actual power with its story and comes off as yet another pretentious drama that’s there to preach and only preach to the masses of movie goers. Jolie, who is made up enough to look like a woman of mixed race as the real Mariane is, seems like such a safe choice for this role. Jolie can attempt for another Oscar, Hollywood has their sensationalism and white actress, and there’s a big name present that undermines any hopes of this film being taken seriously. Simply, Winterbottom misses the mark on what should have been a truly excellent film. Jolie’s accent, and her mussed up hair that anxiously tries to persuade the audience to think of her as a biracial woman, makes for very little genuine emotion drawn from the audience, thus we feel forced to care for this character.

For a lesser known actress (What of equally talented actresses like Thandie Newton, or Naomie Harris?), this role could have been a humongous turning point, but instead Jolie, even for all her talent, just doesn’t convince me to care. Mariane Pearl suffered a great deal, and it’s a horrible ordeal to even imagine, and it’s a damn shame that this film does her no justice. With my sheer discontent and mild disgust at “A Mighty Heart,” I am not attempting to trivialize the death of Daniel Pearl… especially when this film has pretty much done the work for me.

Even for the production qualities and top notch talent, “A Mighty Heart” feels so disingenuous and manipulative; it preaches, it shifts genres constantly, and it does nothing to truly sell to us on the horrific events that unfolded for the late Daniel Pearl. For all intents and purposes, you’d be better off reading the novel.

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