Leonardo Dicaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, and Gabriel Byrne
"When rioting citizens of France destroyed the Bastille they discovered within its records this mysterious entry... Prisoner number 64389000, the Man in the Iron Mask." And so begins the movie that will be bringing young girls to their knees. Yes, Leonardo DiCaprio has another movie out... but despite being an obvious ploy to get teenage girls to go to the theater for this movie, The Man in the Iron Mask isn't all that bad.
The Musketeers, All for One and One for All
It is 1660 and the starving peasants of Paris are being ignored by the young tyrant King Louis the XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio). France is also at war, and the Jesuit community has publically shown it's dissapproval of the war which is stealing food out of the mouths of the poor. Along come the Three Musketeers Porthos (Gerard Depardieu), Athos (John Malkovich), and Aramis (Jeremy Irons)... all long since retired, to help restore France to the glory they fought for as Musketeers, and to fight against the king... Athos out of revenge for his son killed during the war, Aramis as the secret leader of the Jesuits, and Porthos who just wants some more action. They hatch a plot to replace the king... with who you ask? With Louis' twin brother who has been a prisoner in an iron mask for six years. After breaking the king's twin Philippe (also played by DiCaprio, if that wasn't obvious) out of prison and freeing him of the mask they begin to teach him how to be as heartless and careless as the current monarch. After pulling the switch at the king's royal costume ball they almost escape before d'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), the Musketeers old friend and knew Captain of the Musketeers, realizes that Philippe is too kind to be King Louis and foils their plot. After they straighten out who is Louis and who is Philippe, Louis orders Philippe to be returned into the iron mask and put into the Bastille. Of course Porthos, Athos and Aramis make another attempt to free him, but this time the king is ready for them.
Leonardo DiCaprio as King Louis XIV and Philippe
This movie was actually better then I expected it to be, but it isn't nearly as good as almost every teenage girl is going to swear it is. Most of the story is well written, and the actors (especially the Musketeers) are very good. However I think the director forgot to cut out about thirty to fourty-five minutes before they released it because it would have been just as effective, if not more effective without about a half an hour of dialogue and action. Instead it is another two hour plus movie that should have been an hour and a half. For the most part, however, The Man in the Iron Mask is and entertaining movie and isn't a waste of you money to go see, unless you were expecting another Titanic, in which case you will be dissapointed.
