Review: The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
by Luke Buckmaster
2 and a half stars out of 5
The Man in the Iron Mask is one of those indulgent, corrosively funny films with one liners that send cheers from the audience and genuinely pointless scenes that receive sniggers and snorts a plenty. Theres just one problem its not a comedy. Or at least, it doesnt intend to be one.
You cant say that new comer director Randall Wallace couldnt have seen it coming. The international cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Girard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne makes the film constantly sound, look and feel strikingly different. Surely, the films greatest achievement is showing the audience how laughable A grade actors can be if placed in the wrong situations.
King Louis (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the ruler of France in 1660, but hes not exactly a wise and thoughtful leader. He gives rotten food to his people, sends soldiers to their death so he can have their wives, and locks up his own brother in a prison for 6 years just so he can claim the crown by himself. Three of the four main musketeers (Irons, Malkovich, Depardieu) that faithfully served his father decide that they have had enough of Louis evil ways, and devise a scheme to replace the King and bring justice to the people of France. Their plan: to dig up Louis identical twin brother (wearing an iron mask) and make a royal swap. The only remaining loyal-to-the-thrown musketeer, DArtagnan (Gabriel Bynre) attempts to foil their plan of treason against the King.
Amused yet? It gets worse. Without giving too much of the rest of the story away, let me just say that if you can imagine the most likely possible ending, then the chances are youd be predicting it very well (with the exception of some very silly plot twists towards the films completion).
The Man in the Iron Mask is at times a reasonably entertaining film, and if you re excited about the promise of musketeers in shiny uniforms then you perhaps you will enjoy it a little (or a lot) more than I did. But really, what we have is a film that takes itself so incredibly serious all you can do is laugh both at the dialogue and the execution in general. And, of course, the fact that we are supposed to believe that these musketeers come from the same part in the world.
On the up side, some of the battle scenes are genuinely entertaining. And, may the truth be told, I liked looking at Leonardo DiCaprio a lot better when he had that mask on.
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