The Da Vinci Code

In The Da Vinci Code, symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is implicated in a murder and plunged into a mystery with historic ramifications. Aided by French cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), they must decipher centuries-old puzzles and clues that will lead them to the truth. But their efforts are hampered by the Opus Dei (a clandestine, Vatican-sanctioned Catholic organization) and a tenacious Inspector.

Based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown, the story challenges the very foundations of the Christian faith, asking whether Jesus was human or divine. Catholic organizations have, for the most part, been smart enough to lie low and not feed the fire...had Brown been Muslim, he would surely have been beheaded for such a blasphemy.

Akiva Goldsman's script requires a viewer's complete attention. Full of background details about theology, The Knights Templar, paganism and Renaissance art, it is both intellectual and philosophical. There are plenty of surprises, but some of them are so necessary to the plot they are obvious in coming, as is the denouement. Still, it is clever, fast-paced, and absorbing. While some readers of the book may find the moments of exposition tiresome, they are a crucial element to the parables.

Director Ron Howard, in his third collaboration with Hanks, gives the story plenty of atmosphere with Hitchcockian suspense. The aqueous flashbacks to the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages propel the action and add to the sense of awe. However, his decision to light up the letters of the riddles on screen as Langdon mulls them over seems uninspired, having used that technique in 2001's A Beautiful Mind, also written by Goldsman.

Hanks is well-cast as the reluctant Indiana Jones, while the angelic Tautou is a delight to watch. Sadly, there is little chemistry between them. But Sir Ian McKellen gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Holy Grail scholar Leigh Teabing. Paul Bettany, whose leering grimace spoils everything he's in, has found his niche playing a murderous monk, the most villainous albino since 1978's Foul Play.

A true mystery in the tradition of old Hollywood, this "Greatest Story Never Told" is a fascinating scavenger hunt. Rating: 8 out of 10.