Today’s quick review: The Man in the Iron Mask. Years after their famous exploits, the Three Musketeers (Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, and Gerard Depardieu) have retired, Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) has ascended to France’s throne, and D’Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) has taken charge of the King’s Musketeers. But when the King’s misdeeds become too much to bear, the Musketeers come out of retirement to stage a secret coup and set France to rights.
The Man in the Iron Mask is a historical adventure based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. The movie sees the legendary Musketeers wrestle with the travails of retirement and an unjust king who has brought his country to the brink of civil unrest. Adventure and intrigue in mid-17th century France give The Man in the Iron Mask a fair amount of value as a story. However, its uneven acting and lack of action make the movie a missed opportunity.
The Man in the Iron Mask has a talented cast but doesn’t make the best use of it. Its actors deliver fine performances on their own, but collectively they seem to be on different pagegs when it comes to character, tone, and even accent. The film musters a few worthy dramatic moments when it hits the right combination of story beat, actor, and emotion, but these are less frequent than they should be with a cast of its pedigree.
The Man in the Iron Mask also does not offer much in the way of action. There are precious few chances for the Musketeers to show off their famous fencing skill, and even these come late in the film. The stunts are not especially grand, nor do they capture the swashbuckling style that viewers might expect. Still, the plot has enough of an active, adventurous tone to shore up the lack of overt action, and the plot itself is well-constructed.
Watch The Man in the Iron Mask when you’re in the mood for a nicely varied adventure and aren’t feeling too particular about polish. Mismatched performances and a meager amount of swashbuckling mean that The Man in the Iron Mask leaves some of its potential on the table, but the strength of the plot, the appeal of the cast, and decent overall execution make it a fine pick for a viewer willing to forgive its faults.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for mixed execution of strong source material.