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The film is set in 17th century France, at a time of unparalleled grandeur but unbridled
ambition in the Royal Court. France is saddled by the weak King Louis XIII and menaced byEngland and Spain. Wishing to have more power for himself, Cardinal Richelieu as
political and spiritual adviser (Stephen Rea) manipulates the King. Aware of the political intrigues, Queen Anne (Catherine Deneuve) tries to strengthen her position at Court,
but the King silences her. Richelieu does not wish to risk war with France's powerful neighbors but he stirs up the people against the throne by imposing heavier taxes. He
creates his own army to weaken the Royal Musketeers, defenders of the throne, and jails their captain, Treville. It is at this moment when D'Artagnan (Justin Chambers) arrives
in Paris to join the demoralized Musketeers and succeeds in reviving their fighting spirit. He fights to defend the throne and France as well as to avenge his parents' deaths
at the hands of Febre (Jim Roth), the cruel hatchet man of the Cardinal. He falls in love with Constance (Mena Suvari) who has the ear of the Queen. In spite of D'Artagnan's
courage and exploits, the Queen and Constance are imprisoned by Febre, who plans to kill both and Lord Buckingham of England. Only the musketeers stand in the way of the
Cardinal and Febre in their obsession for absolute power. Can the Musketeers save the queen? Can they save Lord Buckingham and prevent a war with England?
The enduring fame of Alexander Dumas's classic novel, The Three Musketeers, has
preceded this latest adaptation and Director Peter Hyams tries to meet the viewers' high expectations with some fresh approaches. He combines the traditional European
swashbuckling with Oriental martial arts in sensational action sequences. These bear the mark of XinXin Xiong, Jacky Chan's favorite "choreographer" and Hongkong's top action
designer. The novel has been reinvented (for instance, the three musketeers are only minor characters here), but the story still offers opportunities for action, special
effects and stunts. Hyams as his own cinematographer shoots many of the scenes in authentic locales in Southwestern France and imbues them with colors of novel hues but most
are darkly lit only by torches. This poses some difficulty to viewers in following the story. The whole production design is lavish with gorgeous costumes and spectacular
sets. The cast comes across with compelling performances, especially Catherine Deneuve as the beautiful and courageous Queen, Stephen Rea as the greedy, ruthless Cardinal
Richelieu and Tim Roth as the hateful Febre. Justin Chambers charms as the dashing D'Artagnan.
This movie is not only entertaining. It also offers some food for thought. Richelieu
personifies treachery, greed and ambition in all their ugliness. To achieve his ends, he creates a "monster" like Febre thinking of using him when it suits his plans. But evil
has a way of generating more evil until it overwhelms. This is shown when Richelieu can no longer control his creation, Febre, who goes on a rampage. On the brighter side, we
see loyalty, friendship and unity. The Musketeers motto: "One for all and All for one" is very apt. The youthful D'Artagnan rallies all those who are demoralized. His positive
way of looking at things and his courage as well as his sacrifices make a difference. The film reminds us that we must hold on to our ideals in the face of insatiable greed
and inordinate ambition of others.
(Date reviewed: December 7, 2001)
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