Who’d have thought that the prolific British indie chameleon would make a film for a major US studio, with a celebrity star? Relax, this is still a Winterbottom film – realist, urgent, and politically committed. It recounts the terrible story of the 2002 Pakistan kidnapping and subsequent murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl (Futterman) – based on the memoir of his then heavily pregnant French wife Mariane (Jolie), also a reporter. Winterbottom delivers a tense docudrama as Mariane is surrounded by friends, diplomats and spooks from three countries, all working feverishly to locate Daniel in teeming Karachi. Excellently directed, with outstanding performances all around (Panjabi especially), a mighty heart is utterly compelling and a timely reminder of the risks journalists face.
A Mighty Heart
Directed by Michael Winterbottom