in theaters june 22

A Mighty Heart
Grade: A-

You never know what to expect from Michael Winterbottom, the British director who tackles everything from Thomas Hardy adaptations (Jude) to graphic sex films (9 Songs). His latest is a gritty – though awkwardly sentimental at times- docudrama about the kidnapping and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in early 2002. Thankfully Winterbottom keeps his cameras out of the torture chamber, focusing instead on the plight of Pearl’s pregnant wife, Mariane. Angelina Jolie delivers one of her best performances ever, convincingly shifting from stoicism to hopefulness to despair as Mariane hears varying reports on her husband’s fate.

Also, the movie's official website is worth looking at: http://www.amightyheartmovie.com/