Les Trois Mousquetaires: Milady

The Three Musketeers: Milady completes the first chapter of their adventures with another exciting story full of political intrigue and action. It comes so close to being wholly satisfying but just can't help itself so at the last minute it ends on another massive cliffhanger. With the promise of another instalment being so far away and not entirely guaranteed, it makes it harder to stomach.

François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, and Pio Marmaï remain a wonderful core four. The witty dialogue gives them plenty of opportunities to showcase their strong chemistry and it feels like they spend a lot more time together in this one, which is a huge bonus. Eva Green was and still is perfect casting. Her enthusiasm is so visible as she revels in the villainy whilst still bringing some nuance.

Martin Bourboulon's direction keeps the one takes for the majority of the action which gives all the swashbuckling a lot of energy without being hindered by obvious joins (again) and there's a generally epic feel thanks to the beautiful locations where the biggest dramatic moments take place. Guillame Roussel's score is suitably rousing with a winning commitment to making everything as serious as possible.

It starts with flashbacks from "D'Artagnan". For the first three or four minutes they remind us of the intrigue leading up to the assassination attempt on Louis Troisième and then D'Artagnan is knocked unconscious and captured by agents of the king's brother.

The version supplied to me did not have an option for subtitles in any language, but the dialogue was understandable. (My son and I spent a few weeks in France over the summer so we dusted off the French quite a bit.) Also, I have read Dumas' wonderful "Les Trois Mousquetaires" several times so I know the storyline.

As with "D'Artignan", "Milady" took some liberties and did not follow the novel strictly, but the overall plot was the same.

One incongruent moment happened early in the film after D'Artagnan escapes by holding a knife to the throat of the Comte de Chalais, Gaston's henchman. He then asks to be taken to Constance, but when he arrives it is Milady de Winter. He gives her to keys to free herself and they jump into a moat and swim to freedom. Shortly thereafter she tries to seduce him, but the is wearing a very low-cut corset. This would have allowed D'Artagnan to see the fleur branded onto her shoulder. I would think that the producers should have noticed this glaring inconsistency.

In a subsequent tryst with D'Artagnan she again leaves her shoulder exposed but this time he notices the mark and immediately reports it to Athos.

I found it interesting that Louis calls his wife "vous" but his brother, Gaston, "tu". I cannot remember if it was so in the novel.

Just as in D'Artagnan, neither Planchet, Grimaud, Mousqueton, nor Bazin appear in the film. They were major players in Dumas' novel and Planchet saves the day more than once, but they were not even a footnote in this film adaptation.

On the other hand, when D'Artagnan reveals to Captain de Treville that the Compte de Chalais was behind the rebellion, the former's frustration with Treville was faithful to the book.

It had fewer moments of drunken revelry and less comic relief than "D'Artagnan" but the acting was superb. Including by those who played the part of Protestant rebels in the citadel of La Rochelle. And the actor who plays Gaston is as cold as he could possibly be.

I still have trouble with the ages of the actors. In the novel Athos was the oldest of the lot, at 27 or so. Here, none of them appear to be under 27 and Athos looks like he's old enough for medicare.

Overall, the swashbuckling adventures of the musketeers was enjoyable, as was the intrigue. Recommended to those who can put aside their temptation to judge it against the novel.

The ending definitely suggests a sequel.

Once again a tremendous spectacle, served with a bunch of very fine actors ("la fine fleur" of French actors) in all their glory, who make most of the scenes of the movie a tasty delight to savour... In particular the highly charismatic Eva Green and François Civil, who both have this magnetic presence that makes you wanna follow each of their adventures (each of the moments they share are captivating)...

The staging and overall design of the movie is as majestically pleasing as in the First Part (both movies were shot at the same time) with very gorgeous framings and lightings (wonderfully mastered)... The action and stunts do the job (in spite of this recurring shaky camera), with a few cool bits (hats off to the final confrontation).

Of course the stakes -even if already pretty high at some point in the First Part- are even higher here... Numerous events in this Second Part mirror events recounted in the First Part ; the situation is pretty tight for the main players, and the whole -mysterious- intrigue gets thicker and tastier as it evolves... With Milady playing a pivotal role in everything ; even when she is not here, her shadow never is very far... But things, during the entire movie, don't really go as expected, twists after twists...

In the end, this two-parter story definitely is a pretty gem in the long history of French Cinema, because it shows the nice will to produce a pleasing cinematic piece, à la française ; but in a fashion that uses some of the welcome contempory/modern tools.

A fine and tasty adventure to watch, and potentially a Third Part to come (?)

"The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas comes to life in the cinematic adaptation, which, while deviating in some details from the book, manages to preserve the original work's essence. The story follows D'Artagnan and his loyal friends, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, in a captivating 17th-century setting. Political intrigues, thrilling duels, and secret romances intertwine as they battle against the cunning Cardinal Richelieu and the enigmatic Milady de Winter. Although poetic licenses result in more battles than in the book, the film successfully captures the spirit of adventure, action, and romance that has made this classic swashbuckling tale endure.

Part 2 of the current film adaptation is by no means a bad film, thanks to the actors, budget and, of course, the literary source material. Nevertheless, it falls well short of its predecessor, not least because of the high expectations following the first film. What's missing this time? A certain freshness, the haunting presence of the protagonists, their actually indispensable interaction, memorable climaxes. Content now rules here, almost too much for the running time, instead of fun.

Eva Green gives an outstanding performance in her parade role as the femme fatale, this time making the important and correct decision that less is often more.