The Musketeer (2001)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers (WGA):

Alexandre Dumas père (novels)
Gene Quintano (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 September 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

As you've never seen it before.

Plot:

Alexander Dumas' novel is updated with an eastern influence as D'Artagnan attempts to join the king's elite guards, the Royal Musketeers, and find the man who killed his parents.

Plot Keywords:

Musketeer | King | 17th Century | Gascony | Wuxia Fiction

Cast

Catherine Deneuve	...	The Queen
Mena Suvari	...	Francesca Bonacieux
Stephen Rea	...	Cardinal Richelieu
Tim Roth	...	Febre the Man in Black
Justin Chambers	...	D'Artagnan
Bill Treacher	...	Bonacieux
Daniel Mesguich	...	King Louis XIII
David Schofield	...	Rochefort, Richelieu Henchman
Nick Moran	...	Aramis
Steve Speirs	...	Porthos
Jan Gregor Kremp	...	Athos
Jeremy Clyde	...	Lord Buckingham
Michael Byrne	...	Treville, Head of the Musketeers
Jean-Pierre Castaldi	...	Planchet
Tsilla Chelton	...	Madame Lacross

Also Known As:

D'Artagnan (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence and some sexual material.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Germany | Luxembourg | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:10 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Spain:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Auch, Gers, France

Company:

MDP Worldwide

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the first swordfight, when D'Artagnan leaps and flies across the room to face the other swordsmen, the harness holding the actor in the air can be seen.

Quotes:

D'Artagnan: This is not what you think.
Francesca bon Ansau: You have no idea what I think.
D'Artagnan: I-I wish to explain.
Francesca bon Ansau: You behave as though you've never seen a naked woman.
D'Artagnan: Never one quite so... naked.
[sighs]
D'Artagnan: Or so, uh, beautiful.
Francesca bon Ansau: You've seen many ugly naked women?
D'Artagnan: That's not what I meant!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Too hurried

I've never seen any Musketeer movies, not even the Kiefer Sutherland one, but I can tell this one ain't the best. It's very rushed and the script is as flat as a blown-out tire. I mean it's written by the guy who created the Police Academy franchise. Surely he should be blacklisted in Hollywood by now.

Peter Hyams once again becomes his own cinematographer and does a kinda okay job. None of his trademark flair or wonderful use of widescreen is in this film and nothing really comes across as pretty or atmospheric. And this whole deal with the film apparently having an Eastern influence is total nonsense. There is like 2 fight scenes and neither of them are that spectacular and come across as a bit contrived. Just because an Asian guy did the choreography it doesn't mean that this film has to look like The Matrix.

The actors do what they can with the poor story and limp dialogue but still come across as being bored, especially Stepehen Rea. Tim Roth looks and acts like a cross between Chuck Norris and Charles Dance and his character is a bit of a cliché. 'The Man in Black'...puh-lease. And if you're kinda wondering who that is playing Mena Suvari's evil uncle then you might recognise him as Arthur Fowler from long over-running BBC1 misery and despair soap Eastenders.

The Musketeer also seems to be badly edited around the PG-rating. Obviously this is what the studio wanted to aim for but it just seem right given the tone of the film and any scene in which someone dies looks like a badly staged pantomime. Even Dogtanian and the Three Muskahounds was more grown-up than this. And boy are those opening credits ugly!

See it only for free on a day you've got nothing better to do.