The Three Musketeers: DArtagnan movie review: The storyline is convoluted no doubt but it’s presented with a breezy and easy-to-process flourish
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan
Film: The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan
Cast: François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, Pio Marmaï, Eva Green, Lyna Khoudri, Vicky Krieps, Eric Ruf
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 121 mins
A modernised adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas authored 1844 issue French classic, The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan, the first half of a planned diptych, doesn’t disappoint. The story of The Three Musketeers has been told and retold many times, so it’s neither new nor original for viewers well-versed in this tale of adventure. But there’s a certain distinctiveness to this particular adaptation. The spunky flair, balance of varied tones, rich culture, and gritty gravitas are evident in the color schema, costumes, and production design allowing for an entertaining and adventurous joyride.
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The storyline is convoluted no doubt but it’s presented with a breezy and easy-to-process flourish. On a rain-soaked night in 1627 a lone rider, Charles D’Artagnan of Gascony, arrives at a fortress in Paris in the hope to join the court of King Louis XIII as one of his trusted musketeers. The narrative in fact, opens with a fairly involving set-up. D'Artagnan (François Civil) has to survive a near-fatal shot and a live burial in the prologue. Then there’s the face-off with each of the three Musketeers individually on the same day within minutes of each other. The plot gets more piquant when the evolving narrative does well to flesh out the courtly intrigue surrounding weakling king Louis XIII (Louis Garrel) and his faithless queen Anne (Vicky Krieps).
Martin Bourboulon's film manages to tell the story with great flair. Screenwriters Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière use Dumas’ plot judiciously and create a fairly invigorating opening. The entire narrative is well staged with grainy imagery, grimy texture, and a predominantly browned-out color palette that aids in giving the adventure a lived-in feel. The cinematographer uses light with great felicity and close-ups though marginal, help lend a sense of profundity.
Vincent Cassel plays Athos who has been framed for murder, Romain Duris is the womanizing Aramis, Pio Marmaï is the openly bisexual (upgraded characterization)Porthos, Lyna Khoudri is Constance - D'Artagnan’s love interest, and Eva Green, as Milady is the chief mistress of intrigue and perfidy here. We get to see the best of French acting talent and they all are downright persuasive and enlightening in their craft. Even the sword fight action and horse chase sequences have a cliffhanger sort of edge to it. The editing and background score composition lends great strength to this cinematic embodiment of Dumas’ classic.
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