Enter Sean Connery as investigator-monk William of Baskerville the Sherlock Holmes connection made explicit in his name and his naive young assistant Adso a youthful Christian Slater. The Grand Inquisitor Bernado Gui F. Murray Abraham suspects devilry; but William and Adso, using Holmesian forensic techniques, uncover a much more human cause: the secrets of the library are being protected at a terrible cost. A fine international cast and the splendidly evocative location compensate for a screenplay that struggles to present Eco's multifaceted story even partially intact; Annaud's idiosyncratic direction complements the sinister, unsettling aura of the tale ideally. --Mark Walker