The Musketeer - Der junge D'Artagnan

I am far to be a fan o Alexandre Dumas. So, this version is far to be a surprise. Except the presence of few good actors in not the best roles, some admirable fight scenes, a story reduced at conventional sketch, Tim Roth looking for the decent way to save his character from not happy script and, sure, Catherine Deneuve in a role who surprise not entirely in good sense . A film about nothing. This could be a virtue but , in this case, it remains bizarre. Because it is just a walk around characters, a poor script, fight scenes as fireworks. And this is all.

seems a well intended tribute to the original film , but lacked depth in my view. not enough time for depth i suppose when you are in the air slicing about with a sword every 3 minutes. if you like bruce willis style car chases shootem up films, then you'll like this, ( unless you are find it too "cultural" for yourself) :) Myself, i found my mind wandering during it to such things as " I wonder if my socks will match if i look down" and other more fascinating thoughts.

Dártagnan (Justin Chambers) undergoes a revenge against the man dressed in black (Tim Roth) who murdered his father . Fourteen years later he goes out from Gascogne along with Planchet (Jean Pierre Castaldi) and confronting plunders and bandits on the trip to Paris . He meets for the first time worthless three musketeers , Athos (Kemp) , Porthos (Steve Speirs) and Aramis (Nick Moran) and get their swords crossed up . DÁrtagnan and the three Musketeers cross swords with the lackeys of scheming cardinal Richelieu (Stephen Rea) and first Mister Treville (Michael Byrne) , head of the Musketeers . They try to help king Louis XIII (Mesguich) who is negotiating a treatise with Duke of Buckinghan (Jeremy Clyde). Meanwhile , Queen Anna (Catherine Deneuve) and Francesca (Mena Suvari) are kidnapped by Febre and closed in his castle .

Mediocre version of the classic swashbuckler by Alexandre Dumas whose novel has been adapted a dozen times approximately . Attractive costumes , haunting french locations , fast paced and contains scrumptious action scenes with bounds and leaps in 'Matrix' style . This is primarily and middling made due to some blatant miscasting . Justin Chambers as Dártagnan and his co-star acting as the Queen's seamstress are never convincing as French citizens during the reign of Louis XIII . D'Artagnan did really exist , his name was Charles de Batz and was called D'Artagnan when he arrived in Paris probably because he was coming from the south-west of France where the movie was partly shot and where is the little city of Artagnan . Lively musical score by David Arnold , habitual in James Bond films . Dark photography by Peter Hyams , usually cameraman and filmmaker ; being filmed in south-west of France on location in Castle , Cassaigne, Gers, Castle Miramont-Latour, Gers, Midi-Pyrénées, and Auch, Gers, France . The motion picture was regularly directed by Peter Hyams . He's an irregular director with hits (Relic, Outland , Capricorn one , Timecop , Sudden death) and flops (Sound and thunder , End of days).

Other versions about this classic are the followings : 1921 mute rendition by Fred Niblo with Douglas Fairbanks ; 1935 adaptation by Rowland V Lee with Walter Abel and Paul Lukas ; 1948 the classic version by George Sidney with Gene Kelly , June Allyson , Van Heflin , Paul Lukas and Lana Turner ; 1973 amusing version by Richard Lester with Michael York , Oliver Reed and Raquel Welch ; 1993 modern adaptation by Stephen Herek with Charlie Shen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Chris O'Donnell , among others .

If you are a fan of swashbuckling, this is not a film to miss, as long as you are able to overlook the bad acting and the obvious Asian influences in the fighting.

I have seen worse films. Most definitely. The rating of 4.2 is much too low for this movie, I think a 5.5 to 6 is more appropriate. It's not a great movie by any means, but it does have it's moments.

The opening swordfight in the resturaunt is the best in the movie. At least it was the most believable with the exception of the barrels. I found the ladders and some of the ropeplay in the Versailles to be much more unrealistic. However I tend to like movie due to the sophistication of the choreography, because I am involved in fighting choreography too.

I dissent from the negative comments based on comparisons to the novel, or earlier " Three Musketeer" movies. This movie has no pretense of remaking the novel, or earlier movie versions ( the Michael York/Raquel Welch version is a classic). It is, at most, a modest "prequel", designed to capture young action viewers, and romantics ( Justin Chambers/ Mena Suvari); dirty old men ( Mena Suvari); and Deneuve fans (as all men ought to be).

Mena Suvari is wooden and ornamental, but Chambers here is at least as good as Heath Ledger in "A Knight's Tale". Deneuve is excellent as always. Tim Roth is a definitional villain, although Stephen Rea is a weak Richeleau. Lesser knowns as the other musketeers , and the French actor as " Planche", add spice.

I am a sucker for swordfighting movies, so loved this one.

There are many worse choices in your video store.