Movie Review: A swashbuckling good time
Latest stab at The Three Musketeers benefits from good looks and a solid cast
By Katherine Monk, Postmedia News October 20, 2011
Matthew Macfadyen, Logan Lerman, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans star in a fun film that deftly delivers swordplay, friendship, romance and sexy guys in tights.
Starring: Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich and Matthew Macfadyen
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Rating: PG (violence)
Playing at: AMC, Barrhaven, Coliseum, Galeries Aylmer, Gatineau 9, Empire Orléans, SilverCity, South Keys, StarCité
There are a lot of reasons why Alexandre Dumas’ story of three famed swashbucklers will always stand the test of time.
One has to do with the notion of underdogs with great skills who triumph over the forces of darkness, which is always sexy. Another revolves around the theme of friendship, and how mutual respect and a deep sense of brotherhood can bring out the very best in man.
Last, but not least, is the appeal of men with big swords in leather pants. It’s sexy, and appealing across cultures.
And why not? The whole thing comes with a ready-made slogan of “all for one, and one for all” — which seems to be increasingly true, especially in the world of international banking. And believe it or not, international banking is what forms the backdrop for this new stab at the musketeers.
A weak king sits on the throne of France. Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) doesn’t have control over the endlessly manoeuvering Cardinal Richelieu, which makes the nation vulnerable in the face of its most threatening enemy: England.
The two nations are in the midst of a peace negotiation, because their war coffers are hurting in their endless quest to gain the upper hand. Both would like a chance to recover, but they can’t risk a tactical misstep.
It’s a situation reminiscent of the Cold War, where leaders are forced to rely on bravado and military might to establish the world order.
Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) understands the way it is, but the king is a peacenik who is more interested in wooing his wife (Juno Temple) than conniving against the British emissary, Buckingham (Orlando Bloom).
He needs some manly backup, but his personal guard — the musketeers — have been disbanded by Richelieu. They live among the rabble, drinking and carousing.
At the top of the reel, they meet the man who will become their fourth musketeer, D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman). But he’s got a lot to prove before he becomes a bona fide swordsman for god and country.
This movie directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Death Race, Resident Evil) gives the young blade ample screen time to make his mark as both a warrior and a man. And relative newcomer Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) does a standup job delivering both halves of the equation.
At a basic level, this film will appeal to tweens the world over, because it shows a young person doing incredible things in a credible way. But what makes this piece of matinee fluff more fun than your average poofy-pants movie is the veteran cast, which includes British character actors Luke Evans, Matthew Macfadyen and Ray Stevenson — Aramis, Athos and Porthos, respectively.
These three men can generate so much depth of emotion in such short strokes, we have to stand back and give them room to move. Every turn of phrase seems to come with a matching twist of the knife, ensuring all the swordplay is matched by verbal shadow moves.
There are endless winks to genre, but Macfadyen deserves extra praise for selling the subplot of the double-dealing romantic interest, played by Milla Jovovich, in yet another scenery-swallowing encounter. Macfadyen almost tears up when the woman he loves sells him out for diplomatic immunity and a diamond necklace.
It’s a nice bit in a movie that looks to action sequences and computer-generated effects for most of its thrills.
The Three Musketeers is effective formula, and this good-looking, big-budget feature with a veteran cast gets the core ideas right. Not only are we immersed in a story of good versus evil, the director is smart enough to hint that, despite the difference in fashion and weaponry, the world still looks very much the same.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
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