The Man in the Iron Mask Review
by Craig Roush (kinnopio AT execpc DOT com)March 16th, 1998
THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK
Release Date: March 13, 1998
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Anne
Parillaud, Judith Godreche, Peter Sarsgaard
Directed by: Randall Wallace
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (sequences of violence, some sensuality/nudity) URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/manironmask.htm
It's always interesting to watch a film in which several A-list actors have been thrown into the fold with each other. Conflicting acting styles are modified (sometimes) to give interesting and fresh perspectives (sometimes) on actors we've known for quite some time. A successful meshing of talent like this is one of the brightest things about THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, the cinematic rendition of the third episode in Alexandre Dumas' THREE MUSKATEERS trilogy. Unfortunately, a lot of the talent incorporated into IRON MASK is not in the limelight for a good portion of the movie, and so the finished product is a bit muddled. So is the A-list cast the only thing that makes IRON MASK worth watching?
Trying to pass THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK off as a heavyweight period costume drama is like trying to pass a Geo Metro off as a muscle car. Director Randall Wallace, who wrote the script for Braveheart and also wrote the script here, rushes his drama through its opening moments. He doesn't take advantage of the initial screen time to build the atmosphere of a famine-wrought Paris on the edge of revolution, and the sets that he constructs and fills with extras do not have a very Renaissance feel about them. Without atmosphere, the movie has a hard time conveying the characters' motivations and a lot of great characters are therefore unfortunately left empty.
The plot itself is relatively simple. In the late 1600s, King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) sits on the throne of France, although his country is in shambles. Aided by D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byerne), he shows no signs of improving, although D'Artagnan hopes for the better. Louis has also earned the hatred of several of his Muskateers (now retired), including Athos, Porthos, and Aramis (John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, and Jeremy Irons). The three conspire to replace the king with his twin brother Phillippe (also DiCaprio), who is locked up at the Bastille. They spirit the young lad out of prison, teach him the ways of royalty, and make the switch during a costume party, but the wily D'Artagnan notices and soon things are headed for the worse.
DiCaprio's double role does not necessarily make him twice as good. Although his characters are so far apart that it almost seems like there are two different actors, his arrogance for Louis is stale and his innocence for Phillippe is too cute for the character's good. DiCaprio did much better in TITANIC. The Three Muskateers and D'Artagnan are the best, but Wallace has written them off to the side until the end and does not take full advantage of their characters: the straightforward Malkovich, the buffoonish Depardieu, and the contemplative Irons are all fine performances. Byrne as D'Artagnan isn't as good, but only because he takes the side of the evil Louis. Overall, it's obvious that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, both for DiCaprio and Randall Wallace. IRON MASK is missable for better fare.
FINAL AWARD FOR "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK": 2.0 stars - a fair movie.
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Craig Roush
[email protected]
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Kinnopio's Movie Reviews
http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
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