Genres

Visitors Review

LTripp 2012-05-23 19:23:01

This should be on the list of the 100 best movies of the 20th Century

I saw this movie in the Theaters when I was nine. It took a while tounderstand the whole story, it's very complicated. But I loved it rightaway. It has not one, but five great performances, six if you callLeonardoDiCaprio's double for playing two roles. Leonardo is great as the spoiled,selfish, and wicked King Louis XIV, who doesn't take care of his peopleandplays a part in all the deaths in the film, and as Phillippe, the king'stender and sweet natured twin, who spent six years in prison in an IronMaskand does not now why till he is rescued by Athos, Porthos, and Aramis,("TheThree Musketeers", brilliantly played by John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu,and Jeremy Irons) and then must take his brothers place as king. GabrielByrne plays the noble D'Artangan, who was once one of "The FourMusketeers",and is a good man but is loyal to the evil king for a reason that we don'tknow until the end and I won't give away. Leonardo DiCaprio is amazing,JohnMalkovich is passionate all through the movie, Gerard Depardieu istouching,lovable, and funny, Jeremy Irons is noble and wise, Gabriel Byrne is sogood. Other good performances by smaller roles are Anne Parillaud as theQueen Mother, Peter Sarsgaard as Athos's romantic son Raoul, who dies atragic death towards the beginning, Judith Godreche as his fiance,Christine, who is horribly seduced by the king, not knowing he wasresponsible for Raoul's death, and Edward Atterton as D'Artangan's noblelieutenant. My guess is that the book is very different, same with "TheCount of Monte Cristo" as a film. "The Man in the Iron Mask" was probablymade to look more of an exciting epic than the book but the Drama isthere.This is a must see film. If I could I would switch it's popularity, withDiCaprio's much more popular film "Titanic"

Roy Henock 2012-05-23 06:58:37

BORRRRRING!

I'm amazed to see that other people (or androids with no taste, morelikely) actually LIKED this boring waste of invaluable time! This movie hadno action, no excitement and no reason to be made...except possibly to cashin on Leonardo DiCaprio's popularity from "Titanic." This movie was not onlya waste of time, but a waste of some really first-rate actors such as JohnMalkovich and Jeremy Irons. I haven't read the book but am encouraged tonote in other negative reviews that the movie is nothing like the book (sowhat else is new?) so maybe reading the book will make me forget about thisawful film. I'm amazed to read that other people out there (or possiblyandroids who have not been programmed to recognize the difference betweengood and bad films) actually liked this snore-filled cure for insomnia. Ifsomeone thinks this movie is good (or worse yet, great) I'd hate to see whatmovies they hate! I hate this movie & so should everyone else! If you wantto see a REAL action film, try "The Three Musketeers" (1974) or "The FourMusketeers" - both based on the novel "The Three Musketeers" by AlexandreDumas, who also wrote "The Man in the Iron Mask".

ironside 2012-05-23 00:27:37

A film done with pride and conviction...

Without ever attaining indisputable literary merit, Alexandre Dumas,succeeded in gaining a great reputation first as a dramatist and thenas a historical novelist, especially for such works as 'The Count ofMonte Cristo,' and 'The Three Musketeers.' He was among the first,along with Honoré de Balzac and Eugène Sue, who fully presented a rich,detailed picture of life in early 19th century - France, creatingcharacters of formidable individuality and willpower...'The Man in the Iron Mask' takes place in 1662, where a spoiled youngking rules in decadent luxury while his subjects are starving in thestreets... His armies fight unjust wars... His selfish actions resultin deep resentment by the people... He is currently under siege byrebellions... His tyrannical disposition prompts the original 'ThreeMusketeers' to believe that France will never prosper unless a changeis made... Our musketeers have all grown into middle age, and theirexploits have become legendary...When the son of Athos is sent to the front lines of battle, and killedthe aging 'Three Musketeers' (Athos, Porthos and Aramis ) are forced tohaul out their old uniforms into active rebellion against the crown...They come up with a plan to expel the tyrant from his throne... Acarefully guarded secret works to their advantage...Aramis knows of an enigmatic Bastille prisoner, a helpless victim ofthe king's justice, whose true identity and existence is unknown tomost... This mysterious young man has been thrown into loneliness andpain in a dungeon for six years, forced to wear an affixed iron mask sono-one can notice how much he looks like the king...In a risky maneuver to save France, the 'Three Musketeers' break thetitle character out of prison, teach him to behave exactly like theking, and then set off to make the 'switch' in a masquerade ball...As their plan unfolds, they must confront their friend, the greatD'Artagan, one-time "fourth Musketeer," now head of the king'sbodyguards, who has sworn an oath to protect the king with his life...DiCaprio plays two characters so distinctly and effectively that youabsolutely hate one and love the other...He is King Louis, a non-caring leader who lets his subjects starve andriot in the streets of Paris... He is a vile ice-hearted seducer mostlyinterested in bedding attractive young women... He displays, withtalent, King Louis' arrogance and cruelty... DiCaprio is also thegentle Philippe, the polar opposite of Louis... Philippe has the heartof a king, with eyes asking too much... Gerard Depardieu is delightful as the old and weak Porthos, thewomanizer, more concerned with the pains of growing older... Porthosfeels useless unable even to "straighten his sword" when in the haywith three women... John Malkovich is the straightforward Athos, now an impulsive widowerand an angry father who has his own need for revenge against the King'streachery... Two time Oscar nominee for "Places in the Heart" and "Inthe Line of Fire," Malkovich makes the point that ideally, they shouldhave a king worthy of their service...Jeremy Irons is the contemplative Aramis, the justice leader of asilent rebellion.... As the Jesuits oppose Louis' wars, and thestarvation that results, Aramis is ordered to discover the trueidentity of the general of the Jesuit's order and to execute him... Inone moment, Jeremy Irons (an Oscar winner for 1990's "Reversal ofFortune"), dignifies the true mission of a Musketeer when he states:'When we were young men, and we saw injustice, we fought it!'Gabriel Byrne is the faithful D'Artagnan who carries a mysterioussecret with him... His dark romantic secrets are hidden in his sadlook... Byrne has the right combination of gravity and flair for theconflicted D'Artagnan, especially in the scene where he placates anangry mob... He projects his character's romantic frustration and hiscrisis of conscience, and desperately tries to find a balance betweenhis loyalty to the king and his ability to live up to the code of theMusketeers... Anne Parillaud is the twins' mother, Anne d'Autriche, torn between herpassion and her maternal love toward a son completely far from the pathof compassion and honor...Judith Godrèche is the damsel in distress, the beautiful Christine tornbetween being faithful to her dead love and helping out her poor familyby basically selling her body to a lusting king...The film's authenticity and visual presentation are as glorious in thedecadent luxury surrounding the King of France as grotesque in theterrible place occupied by the man in the iron mask...Randall Wallace (Oscar-nominated for "Braveheart's" script) brings thegreat palace of Versailles to life with elegance and finesse... Thebeauty of the gardens defies verbal explanation... The music isbeautiful and epic, and the motion picture is done with pride andconviction...The masked prisoner actually existed in reality... But his identity wasnever known and it's of little consequence here... The film, however,is not exactly faithful when it comes to historical facts... It hasbeen created for pleasant entertainment purposes... Louis XIV ofFrance, whose great prestige earned him the title of 'the Sun King',ruled France in one of its most brilliant periods and remains thesymbol of absolute monarchy of the classic age...

2012-05-22 17:04:03

An Excellent Movie

I've never read the book, so I came clean to the movie. The action sequences are good, the explanations as to what motivates the Musketeers are reasonable, and the performances are, for the most part, excellent. There is very little to complain about for this movie.Plus, we get to see Leonardo play two roles! :)Highest rating from me.

2012-05-21 16:41:52

The Man in the Iron Mask

The Man in the Iron Mask is one of the best Movies I think that Hollywood has ever come up with. I truly enjoyed the jigsaw puzzle of a plot and the twists and turns it takes you on. The DVD is a more in depth version of the movie because you can recieve director commentary by director Randal Wallace, also the writer of Pearl Harbor and Braveheart. He yet again created a superb action packed adventure in this movie. Leonardo DiCaprio's acting in this movie was extremely well for a young actor, and may be his best since Gilbert Grape or Marvin's Room. Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, and Gabriel Byrne, who held the roles of Aramis, Athos, Porthos, and D'Artagnon were incredibly played with heart and you could actually feel with the character their pain and suffering. All in All I believe this to be one of the best movies I've seen, and I've seen many movies, it's excellent costumes, great plot and acting,and stage production leave little to be desired for.

2012-05-21 13:44:59

The Original is Better!

I didn't think movie was great at all! I don't like Leo either. I think the movie dragged on too long. There were some immpressive actors in this movie though..but I still give it a bad review. It is better to see the Original first.

ion steriotis 2012-05-20 20:14:13

Worst film for the last 5 years

Incredible scenario. Bad acting. Boring !Good Kings and Bad Kings .....no action at all.a lot of boring dialogs.Only good thing: nice picture framing.

2012-05-20 10:33:49

beautiful settings, wonderful costumes, great acting, a decent movie

this is a decent movie, its not fantastic but its definately not bad either!. the acting is great especially Jemery Irons, John Malkovich and Gerard Depadieu who in my opinion were perfectly cast as the three musketeers...Gabriel Byrne was also great as captain of the musketeers, he looked very much like a frenchman.the settings and costumes are the best thing about this movie, its filmed at the beautiful Vaux le Vicomte palace in france, which looks beautiful outside as well as inside.and the costumes were magnificent, especially in the ball scene, were the women wear some absolutely beautiful dresses!the only thing which was sad about this movie is Leonardo Dicaprio as the king, I dont have a problem with leo, I think hes a pretty good actor, but hes just not fitting in the role of a king, especially not a 17th century king of france, he had too much of an american accent and appeared too much of an..well..american! but he did hes best, and it was okay, just not belivable enough as a king, a prince maybe

2012-05-19 01:27:36

Loved it . . .

I don't know why I did not see the 1998 version of Man in the Iron Mask while it played in theaters. In a way I'm glad I didn't see it then - I surely would have embarrassed myself, because it would not have occurred to me that I would need a half-box of Kleenex at the end! I finally watched the movie in my own living room when it came to HBO several years ago, but while I enjoyed the movie at the time, it did not leave me with the urgent desire to see it again. However, I did watch the movie again recently, and now for some unexplainable reason, I can't seem to get enough of it. I have the DVD, and it is the movie I most often reach for on a quiet evening of lousy television.Those who are expecting a faithful adaptation of the book will come away sorely disappointed, and if that is their measure of the movie, they will do best to avoid this one. However, those who love the characters, who don't mind seeing new adaptations and interesting plot twists, and who love rich costumes and set designs will find this movie wonderfully entertaining. And that is what it is all about, isn't it? Entertainment. I have read many reviews regarding this movie, and am puzzled, even dismayed at times, by some of the criticisms levied at various aspects of it. Some people have complained about the dialogue in the movie, calling it "flowery", but truthfully I loved the fact that Randall Wallace did not modernize it. So many new films and TV series are "dumbing down" the dialogue of period pieces to make them more compatible with today's manner of speaking. I applaud Mr. Wallace for keeping the dialogue consistent with how it likely would have been spoken in the 17th century. Still others complained of the unlikelihood of all four Musketeers surviving a volley of musketfire during the final charge. If they had been watching properly, they would have noticed that the young Musketeers were turning their faces away, closing their eyes as they pulled the triggers. And after the first few shots, powder smoke begins to fill the corridor, obscuring their vision. So the lack of accuracy in their volley is adequately explained on more than one count. Moreover, if the critics had been watching more closely, they would have noticed that there are woundings -- D'Artagnan is hit in the shoulder, Athos in the thigh. The other two are also limping, and the script confirms that all four are wounded in the barrage.As for the complaints that the four leads have four different accents, I did not find them distracting or annoying, as some have claimed. I expected it, since this is an International Cast, and with an International Cast, you get International accents. And speaking of the cast, I must say that in all the Musketeers movies I've seen, this is the strongest cast ever. The primary performers, Jeremy Irons, Gabriel Byrne, Gerard Depardieu, and John Malkovich, all turn in exquisite performances, and Leonardo DiCaprio is, in my opinion, convincing as Louis and Philippe, even though he is upstaged by the other four. Anne Parilloud is simply lovely as the Queen Mother, and the moments she shares with Byrne's D'Artagnan are some of the best in the film. The love scene between them, as brief as it was, is as beautiful as any I've ever seen (this coming from someone who is not a true fan of romance! I was left wanting more!). The music is brilliant and sets the mood perfectly for each scene. The wardrobe is exceptional, especially the black uniforms of the old musketeers.Particularly nice touches in this movie are the attention to detail: The roses left for the queen speaks as decisively of D'Artagnan's love for her as words ever could (And yes, I really liked the plot twist involving the twins' paternity); Philippe dragging his masked head back and forth over the grating in frustration while in prison; the unmasking of Philippe in a dark blacksmith's forge, his hair wrapped around his neck where, as it grew, it was unable to escape the confines of the mask; Lieutenant Andre's devotion to D'Artagnan throughout the film and the way he looks away when the king orders the volley, unable to watch his captain cut down; the rich, fancy costumes contrast the torn, sweat-stained clothing where appropriate.The movie is not without its faults, though. The first scene involving Porthos and Aramis, for example, contains some crude language regarding parts of both the male and female anatomy and Porthos's flatulence, both of which seemed out of place, and actually got the film off to a shaky start. The first time I watched it, I almost turned it off at this point. I also could have lived quite happily without ever having seen the bulls-eye glimpses of Porthos' naked rear end. While I'm sure some of Depardieu's fans loved it, the scene did nothing to advance the plot, in my opinion. There is hardly an actor or actress out there these days that has not done a nude, but quite frankly, some things are just better left to the imagination. I'm smiling as I write this, but truly, the scene was unnecessary. Thankfully, there is a "skip" button on my DVD player! And yes, I do use it. Those few faults are forgivable when surrounded by so many other details that are so elegantly done. For me, it was a very pleasing movie experience, one I enjoy over and over again. Kudos to everyone involved. Now, if I can just convince Randall Wallace to release a director's cut version . . . .

eric wobma 2012-05-18 13:13:02

"Magnificent Valor"

The true reason why Alexandre Dumas' epic of the Musqueteers is asunforgettable as the fairy tales of Andersen, Grimm and Aesop, is ofcourse because everyone is a musketeer. As we all know, the three friends are really one person. Aren't we allone of the other, hoping with the passion and vigor of an Athos tocombine the love of the flesh and savoir-vivre of Porthos with thewisdom and contemplation of an Aramis.D'Artagnan is the hope in achieving that equilibrium. This tale hasbeen filmed almost 500 times. Coming soon will be a megalomaniacattempt of prototype American Peter Hyams, which will be a filmcompletely opposite of THIS glorious picture-tale. Where Hyams, asalways, searches for the (special) effect and too grand but emptygestures, this film is about people. Heros alright, but people withtheir weaknesses none the less. Those who love the swashbuckling epics, see this film because it islovely even though the fighting is restrained. People who hate theswashbuckling genre please don't miss this wonderful film, with asuperb cast and wonderful art-direction. Maybe one day we will have the ultimate '3 Musketeers', which will meanthat the three friends will be played by one truly great actor. Watchthis film over and over again and wonder ... should it have beenMalkovich or Depardieu ? Irons maybe ? All playing wonderful here inthe sequel, based on Dumas' other Musketeer novels. The answer maybelays within this film. If 'we' hurry, maybe Gabriel Byrne can play this 'All for One & One ForAll' Musketeer !! If 'we' wait too long, let's hope DiCaprio has sunkhis last boat and comes back to the breathtaking roles he started in'... Gilbert Grape' and culminated here, in his double-role as theFrench King Of The Sun.But maybe it's better not to hold our breath and have Vincent Casselplay this triple role...

Mikkel-20 2012-05-17 23:36:15

Excellent support cast

The four musketeers really steals the screen. They are magnificent in eachoftheir roles. I was disappointed to know that none of them were Oscarnominated for their outstanding performance. But besides the acting donebyGabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Gerard Depardieu the movieis only okay. Not WOW-great, neither SUCKS-bad. But okay.

2012-05-17 11:32:21

A welcome addition to my blueray library

This review is from: The Man In The Iron Mask (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) I have a hard time upgrading to many blueray movies especially on older films, however this is an exception. Visually the palace scenes truly "pop" with color and the soundtrack sounds magnificent. A true blueray gem for any nostalgic movie buff.

benzene 2012-05-15 23:21:50

Very disappointing considering what it could have been.

I can't say that this was a really bad movie, but I have to say that I wasdisappointed considering the quality of the cast. Sad to say, I think thestory was not the problem with the movie (obviously, it has been done beforeand done much better), but rather the actors and actingwere.I must take exception with some of the other reviewers; I think JohnMalkovich's performance was dismal. He shouldn't have been in this movie atall. Gerard Depardieu was not given anything to work with; perhaps heshould have had Malkovich's role. Jeremy Irons, obviously a fine actor,chose (if he in fact chose it himself) a completely wrong attitude for therole. The three of them seemed totally uninvolved in the story, and hadvirtually no emotion at all. Even when his son was killed, Malkovich merelygoes through the motions, not displaying the least amount of real passion. His vow of vengeance rings completely hollow.The movie is saved from being bad by three performances -- actually four,but by three actors. DiCaprio, in the dual role, rises above the dismalacting of most of his supporting cast to give two solid performances. Butthe movie is completely stolen by Gabriel Bryne, who gives the bestperformance I've ever seen him give (indeed, I think it might have beenaward-winning in a better film), and Anne Parillaud, as the mother forced tochoose between the son she raised who is a monster and the one she abandonedwho is good. Their characters were so much more interesting that I foundmyself wishing the movie were about them, and the whole iron mask thing wasused as window dressing.

2012-05-15 09:27:34

Good Drama

Saw the Movie, read the Book and It was great. Will see it over again, and again.

jldmp1 2012-05-14 06:50:02

Iron Maiden

This is premised on the notion that, if one DiCaprio is good, two mustbe a whole lot better...The costume drama has always been a good point of departure for movies.The best ones invest in a world. Consider one of the champs of thisgenre, like "Barry Lyndon"; in comparison, this is a day pass toEurodisney.It's a two-ton clunker and Byrne is stuck with all the heavy lifting.Malkovich and Depardieu phone in their contributions. The real star isIrons, who shines in everything he does. He doesn't need this, so hestays above it all, and that alone is fun to watch.If you want a Fab Four with derring-do, stick with Lester's two"Musketeers" features from '73 & '74.

2012-05-13 11:53:44

Better than I thought it would be...

The ONLY reason I rented this film was because of John Malkovich (who was, as always, awesome). I was not expecting much since I can't stand Leonardo DiCaprio. But despite DiCaprio (who was horribly miscast and embarrassingly bad), I was quite entertained. (The casting of DiCaprio in TMITIM ranks right down there at the bottom with Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Bad, bad, bad.)

Rosie-9 2012-05-12 18:53:20

Patchy

Gabrille Byrne, Gerard Depardieu and Jeremy Irons were all excellent. Butas other reviewers have pointed out, Leo De Caprio was appalling, and thescript was nothing special. Viewers would be far better off to see theoriginal "Man In The Iron Mask", or even the recent "Three Musketeers" for areal fix of swash-buckling.

2012-05-12 05:08:29

You can watch this over and over again

This review is from: The Man in the Iron Mask (DVD) This is a great movie. I rented it and then I ordered it. It is worth your cash. It really gets you involved. It's a very touchy story of how four men can give their lives for a good cause. All I gots to say is watch it before you conclude. ALL FOR ONE and ONE FOR ALL.

2012-05-12 07:02:37

Uneven standard, but most definitely fun

A fair effort at a traditional swash-buckling adventure story that has a little more heart to it than your average action flick - unfortunately it doesn't succeed on all levels.Set during the reign of King Louis XIV of France, three of Alexandre Dumas' four most famous musketeers are middle-aged and have supposedly left their glory filled days of serving king and country behind them. But the cruel and malicious King is driving his country into the ground, and so the three hatch a daring plot to save it, a plan that centres around a mysterious prisoner in the Bastille, whose face is concealed by an iron mask ...So far, so good. The script is well adapted, and you can't fault the set pieces or costume design. However, the standard of acting is uneven - DiCaprio being the worst offender. He does his best, but he is caught wanting as the King (I'm sorry, but he's just too all-American) and as the pitiful prisoner Philippe is strangely bland and unmoving, whilst the monotone of John Malkovich proves inadequate to convey the anguish of Athos. Gabriel Byrne does well as the noble D'Artagnan, but limited screen time means he doesn't have a chance to fully explore the potential of the character.On the plus side, Gerard Depardieu steals every scene he is in as the larger-than-life Porthos, and obviously has a tremendous amount of fun doing it (and has a French accent) and Jeremy Irons does a cracking job as the honourable Jesuit Aramis. The action, when it kicks into gear, is suitably thrilling, and you can't fault the film's ideals of honour, courage, nobility and friendship. Overall, quite a pleasant way to pass an hour and a half - and remember to shout "all for one, one for all" in time with the musketeers!

2012-05-11 11:58:33

Leonardo stinks

Great Film, with one exception. Leonardo Dicaprio. Whats worse, in this film there is two of him!!!! UUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!