The Man in the Iron Mask Review
by Tim Voon (stirling AT netlink DOT com DOT au)April 4th, 1998
THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK 1998
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1998 Timothy Voon
1 :-( for Leo and the boys
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Anne Parillaud, Judith Godreche, Peter Sarsgaard, Hugh Laurie
Director: Randall Wallace
Producers: Randall Wallace and Russ Smith
Screenplay: Randall Wallace based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas
Hollywood has an annoying tendency to transform great classical pieces of literature into whatever they fancy. If these changes were any good then perhaps one can say – oh, that was neat; but when they are sloppily done, one can only grit their teeth, rip at the seating material with their finger nails and wait for the movie’s end.
THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK is by no means a faithful adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel on which it is based. The question is did screen writer/director newbie Randall Wallace even try to be loyal?
So let’s forget about the story for the moment, and focus on the young star of the moment, Leonardo Di Caprio. Hot off the heels of TITANIC, this movie vehicle merely cashes in on the enormous popularity generated from the aforementioned. His performance here merely ranges from pure pouty (Evil King Louis) to pure innocence (Good Prince Phillipe) with little in between, so much for dramatic range! He was by far better in Titanic. Then there are the veterans of stage and screen. Jeremy Irons (Aramis), very much reprises his priestly persona that worked brilliantly in THE MISSION. I still can’t get over John Malkovich’s awkward American accent as Athos. Fortunately, there is no such discrepancy between speech and character with Gerard Depardieu. His role as Porthos, farts and all, is the comic relief in this sullen movie. Gabriel Byrne an ever reliable actor is the loyal, faithful D’Artagnan who carries a mysterious secret with him.
Overall, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK is mildly entertaining, but not a good movie by any standard. There are some memorable scenes like Leo Di Caprio looking his prettiest whilst moon gazing, a damsel in distress who leaps to her death for selling herself cheap. And when the Four Muskateers dressed in elegant garb, brandishing swords and fencing side by side, yell slogans like ‘All for One and One for All’ – touching but hardly the grand Dumas epic it should have been.
Timothy Voon
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