The Da Vinci Code ***
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellan, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina
Director: Ron Howard
Running Length: 2:29
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) is called to the Louvre to help with a murder investigation. He has been framed for the murder, and with the help of French police officer Sophie Neveu (Tautou), he manages to escape from Captain Fache (Reno), and follow a trail of clues that lead to “the greatest cover-up in human history.” This cover-up involves the Catholic Church, the Holy Grail, Opus Dei, the Knights Templar and more. They seek the help of Grail expert Sir Leigh Teabing (McKellan),, and soon find that they have an albino by the name of Silas (Bettany) on their trail too. And Silas is not working with the police.

Based on the best selling book by Dan Brown, the film manages to remain faithful and give the legions of people that have read it a first class treatment. Hanks, although not the obvious choice for Langdon, fills his shoes well and is believable. The supporting cast are all bigger names, and Ian McKellan stands out among them. He brings humor and wisdom to the role of Teabing. This is an interesting movie that is worth seeing, if only to see what all the controversy is about.