The Da Vinci Code

 The novel by Dan Brown has created enough waves to make its Hollywood incarnation something of a landmark event. Both supporters and detractors of the theories and apparent

 Rarely has the hype about a novel helped in hyping the film too as much as in this case. Over 20 million copies of the book are in print worldwide, and it has been translated into 47 languages. The movie practicallysells itself on that count alone.

 Add to that a cast headed Tom Hanks (along with AudreyTautou, Jean Reno, Sir Ian McKellen and Alfred Molina) and you have a sure-fire blockbuster formula. There isn’t much mystery about the story since it has disturbed religious sentiments the world over since the book was published. The curator of the Louvre Museumin Paris is brutally murdered, but not before he leaves an intricate trail of clues behind.

 Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is a symbologist from Harvard who is called to the scene to try and figure out what the old man is trying to say from beyond the grave. He is intrigued, and so is cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou). The people who most want to get to the bottom of the mystery are, however, definitely not in it out of mere intellectual curiosity.

The book and film draw their name from the fact that the paintings and inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci contain hidden clues that finally lead to an ultra-secret religious organization – the Priory of Sion - and a highly volatile secret.

The premise that ancient Christian scriptures has been tampered with, concealed and misrepresented for purely political reasons has nothing to do with the fact that The Da Vinci Code is a rollercoaster movie.