The Musketeer Review

Musketeer, The
Young swordsman D'Artagnan travels to Paris with aspirations of becoming a Musketeer - one of the king's elite guards. Once there, he must protect French royalty from the sinister Richelieu, help restore the Musketeers to their former glory and avenge his

by Scott Russon |
Published on
Release Date:

28 Jun 2002

Running Time:

104 minutes

Certificate:

PG

Original Title:

Musketeer, The

One of the most filmed stories in cinema history chalks up its first rendition this century, as Alexandre Dumas' adventure tale, The Three Musketeers, is once again adapted for the big screen.

The thrust of the plot remains customary, while the introduction of carefully choreographed fight scenes serves as an attempt to create a contemporary, post-Matrix feel.

The majority of swashbuckling, however, is fairly standard, with the more stylised skirmishes, though entertaining, simply ridiculous. The varied cast is largely vapid, but Tim Roth (rivalling Gary Oldman in the rent-a-baddie stakes) injects some much-needed charisma as Richelieu's henchman, Febre.

The depreciation of Dumas' title trio is ill-judged, as increased focus is placed on a whimsical D'Artagnan. With audience expectations seldom challenged, this is a classless remake of a classic tale. Whoever said, 'They don't make them like they used to', may have had a point.

Essentially a forgettable re-hash of the ageless adventure tale, salvaged slightly by an effortless performance from Tim Roth.

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