The Da Vinci Code (2006) * * *

Directed by:  Ron Howard

Starring:  Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno

The Da Vinci Code is at its heart a mystery.    Why is a sect of the Catholic Church employing an albino priest to commit murders?    What secret is it protecting?    How does the Holy Grail, long believed to be the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper, play into the events?    Professor Robert Langdon (Hanks) is asked by French police to find out why a museum creator was found murdered in the Louvre while striking a pose found on a Da Vinci diagram.    Symbols and clues were written in blood by the dying man, who was shot, but maybe his killer should have shot him a few more times as insurance.     He seemed to have enough energy to go through all of these machinations as well as strip himself naked.    

Langdon has a knack for interpreting clues and symbols within moments after looking at them.    He is a Harvard professor specializing in symbols and whatever type of history needed to move the plot forward.     He is well versed in a great number of things, but even he has to be in awe of his colleague Sir Leigh Teabing (McKellen), who presents us with a fascinating theory which completely debunks what was widely accepted as the cornerstone of the Catholic faith.     His belief is the Last Supper painting by Da Vinci has been altered to erase one person whose relationship with Jesus could shed a whole new light on what is believed by just about every Christian religion on Earth.

I won't reveal much more, except to say the Holy Grail isn't really a gold chalice and this secret is worth killing for in the eyes of certain members of Catholicism.     Langdon is accompanied by police officer Sophie Neveu (Tatou), who plays a closer part in these proceedings than initially anticipated.     The albino hitman (for lack of a better word) is played by Paul Bettany, who practices self-flagellation in response to his obvious guilt about his crimes.    But, yet, someone's gotta do the dirty work.

Ok, no more revelations.    The Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown was a huge bestseller that was a source of outrage among some.    The theories about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Holy Grail were considered blasphemous.    They are certainly irreverent, maybe even preposterous, but you can't deny they produce a juicy plot which director Howard and star Hanks sink their teeth into.    The Da Vinci Code is not expected to be taken seriously.    It is meant to be a smart, engaging thriller, which it is.    Is it ludicrous at times?   Of course, but we find ourselves wrapped up in it anyway.    Isn't that what a good thriller does?  

No ending spoilers here, but I think it is well done.    It casts a new light on the supposed irreverence of its theories and restores natural order to a point.    But I'll bet Langdon wishes he didn't have to avoid bullets and partake in chases to find out he didn't really have to go far to solve the mystery.