By Susan Sackett
The Man in the Iron Mask (starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne; written for the screen and directed by Randall Wallace; rated PG-13).
Based on the Alexander Dumas classic 1850 novel, The Man in the Iron Mask suffers from a case of iron-deficiency anemia. The tale of the mysterious eponymous personage was actually based on a true story. No one ever learned the identity of the imprisoned seventeenth century man, so Dumas took the liberty of providing French Sun King Louis XIV with a separated-at-birth twin brother. Thus was born the time-honored plot device of the "evil" twin.
In the Dumas story, moments after the birth of Louis, heir to the throne, his mother the queen had the misfortune of delivering an identical twin baby. The baby was removed at birth to avoid a complication of succession, and as a youth, he was bemasked and imprisoned. Later, the adult King Louis (DiCaprio) learns of the existence of his brother Philippe (also DiCaprio), who has been sprung from his dungeon by that fearless trio, the Three Musketeers – Porthos, (Depardieu) Athos (Malkovich) and Aramis (Irons). Only the fourth Musketeer, d’Artagnan (Byrne) still serves the King as Captain of the Musketeers. A confrontation between the two royals is inevitable – only one can survive. But first, we must learn of the angst the middle-aged Musketeers are suffering.
Although the production values are fine and the settings exquisite (the movie was filmed entirely on location in the chateaux country of France), this picture should have been about more than the aging Musketeers and their midlife crises. It cries out for more swash, more buckling – there’s very little swordplay, usually the mainstay of the genre. Instead, we have something of the "over-the-hill gang" meets "The Prince and the Pauper." The outstanding cast does little to carry this unevenly directed film, Even the Musketeers’ mantra, "All for one and one for all," evoked about a thousand times, isn’t very convincing.
Nouveau teen heartthrob Leo DiCaprio may have turned in his Titanic iceberg for a crown and iron mask, and initial box office may be good, due to his presence, but it’s not enough to save this picture from floundering on the rocks of mediocrity. Geritol, anyone?
TWO OWLS (OUT OF FIVE)