The Man in the Iron Mask Review
by Bill Chambers (wchamber AT netcom DOT ca)March 11th, 1998
THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK ** (out of four)
-by Bill Chambers ([email protected])
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starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gabriel Byrne, Gerard Depardieu
based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas
written and directed by Randall Wallace
DiCaprio is a wonderful screen presence, possessed of an androgynous beauty; he would have been at home in a silent film, for his cat's eyes telegraph everything he's feeling. He's also very much a product of the nineties: the only reason he worked in Titanic is because Jack Dawson was a man out of his element, a bad boy hipster on a ship full of snobs. Put frilly clothes on Leo and ask him to portray a historic Frenchman, and said eyes suddenly convey confusion. He is an actor out of his element as Rimbaud in Total Eclipse and, now, as King Louis XIV in The Man In The Iron Mask.
The film begins with heinous King Louis ordering the slaughter of Jesuit traitors to D'Artangan (Byrne), his loyal Captain of the Royal Guard. Then Louis falls in lust with the engaged Christine, and orders the slaughter of her fiancee. This leads Athos (Malkovich), the father of the dead fiancee, on a rampage. He reteams with ex-Musketeers Aramis (Irons) and Porthos (Depardieu), and they concoct a revenge plan: the release of Phillipe, Louis's secret identical twin, who has been kept for years in a dungeon, his face shielded by an iron mask. A switcheroo is performed, with harrowing results.
DiCaprio is not the only weak link in the chain. Malkovich's performance feels phoned-in, Judith Godreche as Christine is unremarkable, and the remaining members of the cast are forced to repeat "All for one and one for all" ad nauseum. Randall Wallace's adaptation is problematic: the dialogue lacks flavour, wit, intelligence, and period nuances. As a debut director, he brings nothing unique to the table cinematically; picture a high school play enacted on Masterpiece Theater. There are a handful of decent moments, and Depardieu stands out as the womanizing, suicidal Porthos. He's also the only male Francophone to be found in a story that takes place entirely in France.
It's a shame DiCaprio had to follow up the biggest film in history with The Man In The Iron Mask. Perhaps working with this stellar cast convinced him it might work. The film, despite being miles ahead in quality of Disney's recent Musketeers picture (Charlie Sheen, we hardly knew you were gone), is simply not the grand, powerful epic it wants to be. Diverting, yes, but I think the next time I crave The Three Musketeers, I'll stick with the chocolate bar.
-March, 1998. Originally printed in "The NewS"
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