What better basis for a movie than a book that has been on the New York Times bestseller list since its debut? The film begins with the same page-turner speed as the novel and stays remarkably true to the storyline. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), visiting symbology professor from Harvard, is shocked when French police accuse him of murdering a highly respected curator of the Louvre museum. After being lured to the crime scene and almost convicted, he escapes with the help of Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), Cryptologist for the Parisian police force and granddaughter of the victim. Together they uncover a trail of mysterious clues hidden in the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci and throughout European architecture that may reveal the location and true nature of the Holy Grail.

Beneath the hype and controversy, how does The Da Vinci Code rate as a film? The story and background is littered with famous works of art and beautiful shots of various European cities and buildings. Flashback sequences are used throughout the movie, always showing just enough to make viewers want to know more. The script is serious, intellectual and sprinkled with occasional moments of dry humor. The music accompanying the film is well chosen and creates an appropriate mood for the movie. Overall, everything on the production end couldn’t have been done better.

The actors themselves do a splendid job. Each actor is well cast and delivers an entertaining and most of all convincing performance. All things considered this is a good movie based on a well-written book and receives a hard earned five star rating.